R. Kelly asserts he had no knowledge of the August 2023 ruling awarding $10.5 million to six women who alleged threats linked to the cancellation of a Surviving R. Kelly docuseries screening.
In court documents obtained by TMZ, Kelly contends that had he been aware, he would have contested the lawsuit, citing an overload of legal matters and changes in his representation that caused this particular case to go unnoticed.
Kelly further argues that if he did receive the lawsuit, his limited reading ability, equivalent to a grade schooler, necessitates reliance on lawyers for comprehension.
The lawsuit implicated Kelly and his manager at the time, Donnell Russell, in making threats to silence the women featured in the docuseries.
Kelly maintains that Russell, not officially his manager, should shoulder the blame for any threat related to the screening shutdown.
In response, Russell received a one-year sentence tied to the lawsuit. R. Kelly, already serving a 30-year prison term for racketeering and sex trafficking, faces an additional 20 years for child sex crimes.