R Kelly loses lawsuit after a no-show in court

R&B superstar’s accuser wins default judgement in sex abuse case

LOS ANGELES: A woman who accused R Kelly of sexual abuse has won a civil case by default against the singer, after he failed to respond to her lawsuit and was a no-show in court.

The female, who accused Kelly of repeatedly having sex with her when she was 16 years old, filed the case in Chicago in February this year, a day before Kelly was arrested on 10 charges of sexual abuse.

She is one of four accusers – three of whom were underage at the time of the alleged crimes – at the center of the criminal case against Kelly, according to her lawyer, Jeffrey Deutschman. She is identified as ‘H.W.’ in criminal court filings.

PHOTO: ROLLING STONE

A Chicago judge on Tuesday entered a default ruling against Kelly, according to court records, after he did not respond to the lawsuit and missed the hearing. The judge, Moira Johnson, will hear from the victim at a hearing next month before determining how much Kelly should pay in damages.

Kelly’s criminal defense attorney, Steve Greenberg, said he was not involved in the civil litigation and declined to comment. Prosecutors say Kelly, 52, sexually assaulted three teenage girls as well as a woman. Kelly, who has faced similar allegations for decades, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any wrongdoing. He was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008.

PHOTO: RKELLY.COM

The R&B superstar turned himself in to Chicago police on February 22.  The bombshell development in the Kelly saga came after a judge approved a no-bail arrest warrant for the 52-year-old, who for decades has faced accusations of child pornography, sex with minors, operating a sex cult and sexual battery.

Kim Foxx – the state’s attorney for Cook County, which includes Chicago – told journalists the alleged crimes occurred between 1998 and 2010.  The felony charges carry three to seven years of prison time per count, Foxx said.

PHOTO: CBC

After Kelly was booked, Greenberg dismissed the charges, saying they were based on old and false accusations. Greenberg vowed the musician would be “vindicated,” saying, “I think all of the women are lying. Everybody’s trying to profit off of R Kelly.”

Kelly, known for hits like I Believe I Can Fly, has faced renewed public scrutiny after a scathing docu-series shed new light on his checkered past. “Today marks a watershed moment in the 25 years of abuse by this predator,” said high-profile lawyer Michael Avenatti, who is representing two victims, two parents and two whistle-blowers linked to Kelly.

Avenatti and prominent women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred are representing clients linked to Kelly, with the former saying his office had uncovered previously unreleased footage of Kelly having sex with a teenager, which he had given to the Cook County State’s Attorney.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.