R. Kelly has been at the center of two lawsuits within the last week. He recently lost one against a Georgia venue and faces another for sexual battery.
In a May 15 filing, a judge dismissed the singer's case against a Georgia venue. In the suit, his management company, RSK Enterprises, claimed Macon Coliseum-operator Comcast Spectacor did not pay him $100,000 for a concert he performed. Kelly asked for that amount plus damages.
However, the case was thrown out, because Kelly failed to appear in a Chicago court. He also did not appear at hearings on April 3 and May 8 and was warned "that any future failures to appear may subject this case to a dismissal for want of prosecution," according to court documents.
Furthermore, the two attorneys representing RSK Enterprises stepped down from the case in April, citing "ethical obligations."
On Monday, the musician was named in another lawsuit. Faith Rodgers, 20, filed one in New York this week, accusing Kelly of sexual battery. During their relationship, the then-19-year-old said he "mentally, sexually and verbally" abused her. She also alleged that he knowingly infected her with herpes and locked her in rooms for punishment. She said she also had to call him "daddy."
In an interview with "CBS This Morning," she recalled one incident where Kelly visited her hotel room after he flew her to New York for one of his shows. There, she said she "submitted" to having sex with him.
"I didn't really say anything. I kinda just froze up," she said. "I definitely was uncomfortable. But he has this type of, like, intimidation right off the bat. You know? So I was just waiting for it to be over."
She said those situations occurred multiple times.
Although Kelly is not facing any criminal charges, he has been accused of sexual misconduct several times over the years, including a claim that he ran a cult in his Atlanta home. He refuted that claim and has previously denied other allegations of sexual abuse.
In April 2018, Mensch and Kelly’s assistant resigned from their positions after working with the entertainer for years.
In May 2018, the Time’s Up movement launched a campaign specifically targeting him over the the sexual abuse allegations and revealed it would be collaborating with the social media campaign #MuteRKelly, which seeks to stop his music from being played and cancel his concerts.
Soon after, radio host Tom Joyner and Spotify announced it would no longer actively promote Kelly's music in any way on its platform.
Kelly has not responded to the latest allegation.
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