Over the last 25 years, R. Kelly has faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse, including allegations of child pornography, running a sex cult, and sexually abusing underage women.
The accusations date back to the 1990s, and Kelly has faced multiple sexual misconduct and sexual-assault lawsuits, many of which he has settled and was acquitted for over the years. But recently — especially since the release of Surviving R. Kelly, a documentary about the allegations against Kelly — more people have come forward with sexual-abuse accusations.
Kelly is currently in jail due to unpaid child support, and faces several sexual misconduct and abuse lawsuits. Ahead, a breakdown of the criminal charges and lawsuits Kelly is currently facing.
May 21, 2018: R. Kelly is sued for sexual battery, false imprisonment, and failure to disclose an STD.
TMZ reported last year that Faith Rodgers, a woman who claimed that she met Kelly when she was 19, sued him after he allegedly mentally, emotionally, and physically abused her and gave her herpes.
February 22, 2019: R. Kelly is charged with ten counts of sexual abuse.
On February 22, Kelly was charged with ten counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Chicago’s Cook County. Kelly turned himself in to jail, and his lawyers pleaded not guilty on his behalf. He was released from prison after days behind bars, after a woman referring to herself as his “friend” reportedly posted the $100,000 minimum for bail for him.
February 25, 2019: A Chicago woman files a sexual-assault lawsuit against Kelly.
The same day that Kelly’s lawyers pleaded not guilty to the sexual abuse charges, TMZ reported that a woman named Heather Williams filed a lawsuit against Kelly in Cook County. Williams accused Kelly of sexually abusing her for years beginning in 1996 when she was 16 years old. He has not yet been charged over this lawsuit.
March 6 2019: Kelly is arrested over unpaid child support.
Hours after Kelly’s heated interview with Gayle King aired on CBS This Morning, he was arrested after failing to pay his ex-wife and alleged abuse victim, Andrea Kelly, more than $160,000 in child support for their three children. According to TMZ, in order to be released, Kelly will have to pay the full $160,000. His next court date is March 13.
Kelly is also the subject of multiple federal and state investigations. In February, The New Yorker reported that grand juries have been convened in New York and Illinois, and an investigation into Kelly was reopened in Georgia. The Department of Homeland Security also opened an investigation, among other things, into whether Kelly has violated the Mann Act — which outlaws transporting underage girls across state lines “for immoral purposes.”
If authorities in these states find more evidence of wrongdoing, Kelly could be charged with additional crimes, including sexual battery and sex with underage girls.
