R. Kelly could also be locked away in jail for the following 27 years however his authorized issues – and monetary woes preserve piling up now that six of his accusers have filed a authorized motion to grab his music royalties to gather on an almost $10 million judgment.
The lawsuit seeks to redirect earnings from Kelly’s catalog towards satisfying the excellent debt from a previous court docket ruling award to Lizette Martinez, Lisa Van Allen, Kelly Rodgers, Religion Rodgers, Roderick Gartell, and Gem Pratts.
They secured a $10.36 million default judgment in 2022 after R. Kelly and his co-defendants, together with supervisor Donnell Russell, failed to look in court docket.
The debt, with added curiosity, stands at $9,937,314.38. A fee of $210,639.77 was collected earlier this yr by a garnishment course of, but it surely solely coated a fraction of 82 days’ value of accrued curiosity.
The unique lawsuit stemmed from harassment, intimidation, and retaliation allegations tied to Kelly’s abusive habits and people of his associates, notably following the discharge of the “Surviving R. Kelly” documentary.
The court docket ordered important payouts to the victims, starting from $1.15 million to $2.75 million every, alongside punitive damages and authorized charges incurred all through the trial.
Common Music confirmed R. Kelly nonetheless generates royalties from a 1991 publishing deal. Though the settlement was terminated in 2019 amidst Kelly’s mounting authorized challenges, Common stays liable for accumulating and remitting royalties on the singer’s behalf.
The victims now request a court docket order to grab all future royalty funds till the judgment is paid in full.
Religion Rodgers, who testified towards Kelly in his federal trial in Brooklyn, alleges Kelly filmed her with out consent and falsely imprisoned her throughout their relationship when she was 19.
Others, like Lizette Martinez and Lisa Van Allen, documented harrowing experiences of grooming and manipulation in each court docket filings and public disclosures.
Martinez later wrote about her abuse in a e book.
R. Kelly, imprisoned on separate federal convictions, claimed he was unaware of the authorized proceedings that led to the $10 million default judgment.
R. Kelly additionally denied Russell was ever his supervisor and argued that he had no involvement in Russell’s actions, which included efforts to intimidate victims by calling a Manhattan theater claiming somebody had a gun and was about to shoot the place up.
Russell, who achieved his purpose of shutting down the screening of “Surviving R. Kelly,” was sentenced to at least one yr in jail for his dastardly motion.
Associated
