R. Kelly Claims Ignorance Over $10.5 Million Lawsuit Against Him For Shooting Threat

The suit stems from Kelly and his alleged manager Donnell Russell reportedly shutting down a "Surviving R. Kelly" screening in 2018.

BYGabriel Bras Nevares
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2005 MTV VMA - Rehearsals - Day 2

R. Kelly's legal trouble continues to mount and mount, this time over a lawsuit that he allegedly was never aware of. Moreover, according to new court documents reportedly obtained by TMZ, he blasted a $10.5 million August judgement awarded against him to a group of women. The judge in this case oversaw the case of six females who sued the artist and his alleged former manager Donnell Russell for reportedly sabotaging and shutting down a New York City screening of the Surviving R. Kelly docu-series in December of 2018 by threatening a mass shooting. He supposedly expressed that, if he was aware of the suit in the first place, he would have defended himself.

As such, it seems like this $10.5 million sum is a default judgement based on R. Kelly's failure to respond, although that's just an assumption. Given his response, though, it would make sense that said outcome was what won the lawsuit for the six women in this case and time. Regardless, this also follows a pattern of legal pushback from the Chicago native against endeavors against him. For example, he sued Tasha K and various prison workers last year for allegedly leaking information about him.

Read More: R. Kelly & UMG Ordered To Pay $500K In Victim Restitution From Royalties

R. Kelly At A 2019 Chicago Hearing

CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 17: Singer R. Kelly appears during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on September 17, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Kelly is facing multiple sexual assault charges and is being held without bail. (Photo by Antonio Perez - Pool via Getty Images)

Back to this specific judgement, though, R. Kelly reportedly expressed that he's simply overwhelmed by the many lawsuits and cases against him, which he can't handle from his North Carolina prison cell. Beyond the sheer quantity, another reason he cited is the many changes in his legal team as of late, which caused him to completely miss the lawsuit. In addition, the 57-year-old said he "cannot read or understand words beyond that of a grade schooler," so he wouldn't have been able to understand the suit in the first place without solid legal counsel. As the final cherry atop the excuse sundae this time around, he claimed Russell was never his manager and that, if he tried to stop the Surviving screening without Kelly, he did it "for his own reasons," not on his orders.

Meanwhile, we'll see if there are any reversals or double-downs in this case. The pop culture world continues to discuss this situation, whether it's for a morbid laugh or for a serious conversation on abuse of power. Surely, it's too big of a case for it to slow down anytime soon. For more news and the latest updates on R. Kelly, come back to HNHH.

Read More: Cassidy Hints At Knowing People Who Have Done “Way Worse” Things Than R. Kelly

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About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.