BACKGROUND Renal disease associated with paraproteinemias is classically predicated upon pathologic paraprotein deposition in the kidney. However, growing evidence suggests that paraproteins may be able to systemically activate complement or neutrophils to drive renal damage. This may provide an alternative pathologic mechanism for renal injury in rare cases. METHODS We report a case of a patient with crescentic pauci-immune glomerulonephritis presenting with rapidly progressive renal failure, polyarthropathy, and a purpuric rash in association with a monoclonal immunoglobulin G κ-light-chain producing multiple myeloma. Serum anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies were not detected. Kidney biopsy, including with Pronase digestion, did not reveal pathologic paraprotein deposition. Two previously published similar case reports are also discussed. CONCLUSIONS We propose a novel pathologic mechanism involving monoclonal proteins as a trigger for pauci-immune glomerulonephritis, potentially via complement dysregulation and/or neutrophil activation. This requires further epidemiologic and mechanistic study.