R. Kelly broke his silence after his alleged victims received $10.5 million through the lawsuit he "did not know."
Six women were awarded $10.5 million after suing R. Kelly and his former manager, Donnell Russell. According to the filing, the duo plotted an effort to spread a mass shooting threat so that the New York City screening of "Surviving R. Kelly" documentary series would shut down.
R. Kelly Responds to the Lawsuit
In the new court documents obtained by TMZ, the filing said R. Kelly would have defended himself from the allegations if he knew about the lawsuit in the first place. He explained he had been too focused on his criminal cases and prosecutions already that he could hardly keep up with everything while he was in his prison cell.
The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer assumed the lawsuit was probably sent somewhere as it was not delivered to him behind bars.
But even when he received it, R. Kelly would reportedly not be able to understand its content and differentiate it from other legal documents he has, claiming he "cannot read or understand words beyond that of a grade schooler."
As for Donner, he claimed Donnell never became his manager and that he had no idea how he was trying to stop the premiere. But if the alleged former manager did, R. Kelly said he probably did it "for his own reasons."
The women have yet to respond to R. Kelly's defense and explanation to the lawsuit.
What the Lawsuit Said
The women claimed R. Kelly and his former manager launched a systematic campaign to intimidate them and the series producers to stop the documentary series from coming out.
The alleged threat successfully canceled the event, but it led to trauma, PTSD and panic attacks.
Following the filing, the judgment ruled that the women should be awarded between $1.1 million to $2.25 million each.
In August 2020, Russell was charged with one count of threatening physical harm by interstate communication and one count of conspiracy to threaten physical harm by interstate communication. The Department of Justice's ruling came after the criminal complaint probed Russell and a co-conspirator of having attempted to stop the screening through threats.
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