R. Kelly Faces Fresh Lawsuit as Victims Seek Nearly $10M in Unpaid Damages
Six victims of R. Kelly have filed a new lawsuit claiming the imprisoned R&B singer still owes them nearly $10 million in damages from a 2022 judgment.
R. Kelly performing on concert stage
Photo Credit: R. Kelly at Groovin in the Park 2017 by comechatwitmi / CC by 3.0
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, reveals that Kelly has only paid less than $500,000 of the $10.3 million judgment awarded to Lizette Martinez, Lisa Van Allen, Kelly Rodgers, Faith Rodgers, Roderick Gartell, and Gem Pratts. These victims were all featured in the Lifetime docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly."
The legal action targets multiple parties:
- R. Kelly (currently incarcerated)
- Donnell Russell (Kelly's former manager, also imprisoned)
- Universal Music
- Universal Music-Z Tunes
- IndyBuild (Chicago-based revenue sharing platform)
The judgment, issued in August 2023, consists of:
- $5.1 million in compensatory damages
- $4.5 million in punitive damages
- Additional interest of $2,450.30 per day
Court documents indicate that while Universal Music's co-publishing agreement with Kelly ended in 2019, the company remains obligated to collect and remit music publishing royalties to Kelly - funds that the plaintiffs argue should be directed to them.
Kelly, once a dominant figure in R&B music, is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence at Butner Federal Prison in North Carolina. His 2022 conviction included charges of sex trafficking, racketeering based on sexual exploitation of children, and producing child pornography, marking a dramatic fall from grace for the former superstar who had previously been acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008.
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