Gloria Allred Likens R. Kelly to Trump, Cosby and Weinstein as She Alleges Victim Intimidation
Renowned feminist attorney Gloria Allred announced on Monday that she is now representing multiple women who claim to have been abused by singer R. Kelly, including one accuser who alleges the singer used intimidation tactics in an attempt to silence her.
“We are here today to let Mr. Kelly know in no uncertain terms that he cannot and will not intimidate his alleged victims into keeping silent about their allegations,” said Allred.
In May 2018, Faith Rodgers — who says she first began a romantic relationship with the R&B star in 2017 at the age of 19 — filed a lawsuit against Kelly, 52, in a Manhattan court claiming that he “willfully, deliberately and maliciously” infected her with herpes. According to Rodgers’ lawyer Lydia Hills, who also attended the presser, Rodgers received a letter — signed by Kelly and witnessed by a notary — in which Kelly wrote that, should the lawsuit proceed, his law team would reveal details of Rodgers’ sex life, and publish private images of her, texts with other men, and other compromising personal details as part of the discovery process. Although the letter was not read aloud, Allred handed out copies to those in attendance at the conference and the document has since been obtained by The Blast, which confirms the content of the letter as described by Hills.
Rodgers’ mother also claimed that her family received threatening phone calls and text messages.
“In response to Faith’s lawsuit, Kelly retaliated against her by threatening to reveal what he alleges are details of her sex life,” Allred said. “In addition, he posted private photos of her. One threat was contained in a letter Mr. Kelly wrote to Lydia Hills, an attorney for Ms. Rodgers, as follows: ‘If she persists in court actions, she will be subject to public opinion during the discovery process. For example, my law team is prepared to request the production of the medical test results proving the origin of her STD claim, as well as 10 male witnesses testifying under oath about her sex life [and] complete records of her texts and FaceTime exchanges.'”
Shortly after the broadcast of Surviving R. Kelly, in which Rodgers appeared, Rodgers’ lawyer says that these same photos that were attached to Kelly’s initial letter were published to the Surviving Lies Facebook page, which appeared to have been created by someone from Kelly’s team to “allegedly discredit his accusers.” The page was “swiftly” removed from Facebook for violating the platform’s community guidelines against bullying and exposing personal information.
“It seems that Mr. Kelly is taking his playbook from Donald Trump, who threatened to sue the women who came forward during the campaign to speak about his behavior towards them,” Allred said. “In fact, although it may be a coincidence, Mr. Kelly was recently confronted by the police at Trump Tower in Chicago where he was residing.” (TMZ reported Friday that police made contact with Kelly and two women at his residence after receiving an anonymous tip.)
Michelle Kramer, the mother of accuser Dominique Gardner, was also present at the press conference to speak on behalf of her daughter and “the bruised warriors who have come forward, and those who haven’t yet found their courage.”
RELATED: R. Kelly Survivor’s Mom on How She Got Daughter Back After 9 Years: ‘He Turned on Her’
“As a mother, I have a message for him,” she said. “I and other mothers are watching you. If you attempt to bully or retaliate against our daughters for speaking their truth, we will take appropriate action against you. Our daughters are not alone in this battle. We love our brave daughters and the fact that you are a celebrity would never stop us from doing what we can to support and protect them.”
RELATED: Lawyer for R. Kelly Denies All Sexual Abuse Allegations Against the R&B Singer
Surviving R. Kelly — which aired on Lifetime from Jan. 3 through Jan. 5 — featured wide-ranging interviews with Kelly’s family members, former friends and colleagues, but most notably, women who claim that for decades the hit-making singer and producer used his power and influence to sexually and physically abuse women and young girls.
RELATED: ‘It Was a Horrible Life’: 8 Women Who Accuse R. Kelly of Painful Abuse Share Their Stories
In an interview with the Associated Press on Friday, Kelly’s Chicago-based attorney Steve Greenberg called the documentary “disgusting” and claimed that producers told “disgruntled” women incriminating things to say about Kelly off camera in an effort to incriminate the Grammy winner.
Allred is also representing a third woman whom she declined to name due to the alleged victim being underage.
“Mr. Kelly, you may soon join the ranks of Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein,” Allred said during the press conference. “Just as they have been, and are being held, accountable for their actions, you also must be accountable. You can look forward to a legacy which will not be your music, but rather the pain and suffering that you inflicted on the many vulnerable teenagers and young women who claim they were victimized by you.”
If you or someone you know think they are being abused, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) now for anonymous, confidential help, available 24/7.
