Credit: Alamy

Several victims have sued R Kelly after he reportedly failed to pay a large sum of money after losing a judgment two years ago. The singer is currently serving a 31-year combined sentence at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina, after being hit with federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges involving the sexual abuse of minors.

Six victims, Lizette Martinez, Lisa Van Allen, Kelly Rogers, Faith Rogers, Roderick Gartrell and Gem Pratts, filed a lawsuit against Kelly and Universal Music Group on February 8th, alleging they’re still owed $9.9 million.

According to RadarOnline, the suit comes after they won a $10.3 million civil case against Kelly and his former manager, Donnell Russell, in August 2023, including $5.1 million in compensatory damages and over $4.5 million in punitive damages.

In a statement to TMZ, Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean said, “This outrageous default judgment was entered contrary to court rules, legal precedent, and basic principles of fairness. A New York court conducted a hearing in Mr. Kelly’s absence and without his knowledge while he was incarcerated in Chicago, awarding a staggering $10,000,000 to plaintiffs for conduct committed by someone else.

“A pattern has emerged from courts across the country deciding that Mr. Kelly is not entitled to the same Due Process rights as everyone else. It’s getting old. No court would have been that cavalier with the money of a white man. Our appeal is pending on this issue.”

Following the lawsuit being filed, Kelly denied any knowledge of the case and contested his liability. After he was sentenced in June 2022, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, went into detail about his crimes.

“R. Kelly used his fame, fortune and enablers to prey on the young, the vulnerable and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification, while many turned a blind eye,” he stated. “Through his actions, Kelly exhibited a callous disregard for the devastation his crimes had on his victims and has shown no remorse for his conduct.”

Peace continued, “With today’s sentence he has finally and appropriately been held accountable for his decades of abuse, exploitation and degradation of teenagers and other vulnerable young people. We hope that today’s sentence brings some measure of comfort and closure to the victims, including those who bravely testified at trial, and serves as long-overdue recognition that their voices deserve to be heard and their lives matter.”