According to a report from TMZ, controversial singer R. Kelly is being sued for sexual assault.
Over the course of his decades in the music industry, the "Ignition" singer has been accused multiple times of sexual assault. This year, Kelly's reputation as an alleged sexual predator led the Time's Up organization to call for Apple and Spotify to drop Kelly from their individual streaming services. In response, Spotify said it will "not actively promote" the singer's music anymore.
Now, an alleged survivor of Kelly's abuse is reportedly suing the musician, who she claims mentally, verbally, and sexually abused her. Per TMZ, she is specifically suing Kelly for sexual battery, false imprisonment, and failure to disclose an STD.
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Per documents obtained by TMZ, the woman in question claims that she met Kelly in March 2017 after his San Antonio concert. They allegedly met up again in New York City, where Kelly flew her in for another one of his shows.
After the NYC concert, the survivor alleged that she was forced into "unwanted sexual contact" with Kelly. She states that following their NYC meet up, the two engaged in a year-long relationship that was allegedly fraught with abuse. This abuse allegedly included Kelly confining her with an assistant keeping watch as "punishment."
The woman also claims that she caught herpes from Kelly, and that the singer never told her that he had the virus.
This is not the only legal battle that Kelly is engaged in. According to Billboard, the singer reportedly lost a $100,000 lawsuit against a Georgia venue which, Kelly alleged, failed to pay him his performance fee. Per Billboard, the judge dismissed the case after Kelly did not show up to hearings on April 3 and May 8.
Refinery29 has reached out R. Kelly for comment.
If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call the RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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