Kelly’s former victims have been awarded millions of dollars for threats made against some of his victims featured in the docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly.”
Six of the disgraced singer’s victims are receiving a combined amount of approximately $10.5 million from Kelly and his former manager, Donnell Russell, according to the documents acquired by TMZ. The women had filed a lawsuit against Kelly and Russell for their successful attempt to stop a December 2018 screening of “Surviving” in New York City.
They claimed that beginning in May 2018, the defendants ran an intimidation campaign against the ladies, A&E/Lifetime, and the producers to get them to stop airing the docuseries. They said Kelly’s crew called producers the night of the NYC screening and warned someone was “going to shoot up the place” after those attempts, which included legal threats, failed.
The fake mass shooting threat worked, as the event was canceled – and, according to the victims, it all dredged up past wounds, resulting in PTSD and panic attacks.
According to the verdict against Kelly and Russell, each of the six women is entitled to between $1.1 million and $2.25 million. Will they ever receive a single penny of that is the question.
The Lifetime docuseries, an exposé of the extent of the singer’s sexual, physical and mental abuse, had planned a private screening at NeueHouse Madison Square. Watch the 3-min trailer of Surviving R. Kelly: The Final Chapter.
The good news is that R. Kelly’s music continues to generate income for them. As previously reported, a portion of his Universal Music Group revenues will be used to pay restitution to victims of one of his federal sex crimes convictions.
Kelly is currently serving a 30-year jail sentence.
