R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to charges he sexually abused four people, including three minors.
The Grammy winner, who was charged under a 10-count indictment on aggravated criminal sexual abuse, entered the pleas through an attorney during an arraignment hearing at Leighton Criminal Court in Illinois on Monday (25Feb19).
Kelly, who surrendered to police officials on Friday, appeared in an orange jumpsuit after spending the weekend behind bars.
Prosecutors claim he sexually abused four victims, including three between the ages of 13 and 16, but his lawyer, Steve Greenberg, maintains the accusers are “lying”.
“He did not force anyone to have sex,” Greenberg told reporters over the weekend. “He’s a rock star. He doesn’t have to have non-consensual sex.”
Kelly’s legal team has blamed the latest round of claims on the recent Lifetime network documentary Surviving R. Kelly, stating it “has created collusion between and amongst female friends who have been converted to victims”. The film showcased decades-old sexual misconduct accusations against the star.
His next court date has been scheduled for 22 March (19).
Meanwhile, celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti, who is representing two alleged Kelly victims, has revealed he has obtained a second video that reportedly shows the star sexually assaulting a minor. He is turning the footage over to Cook County prosecutors.
And the problems keep mounting for the singer as another woman has accused him of sexual abuse.
Heather Williams, who has filed suit in Cook County, alleges she met the R&B star in May, 1998, when she was 16, and he arranged a meeting between his associates and her parents to set up a music video cameo.
She claims Kelly began sexually abusing her a month later, explaining they had sexual intercourse and oral sex. In her suit, obtained by TMZ, Heather says the sexual abuse continued until she was an adult.
She claims the “repressed memory” of her intimacy with the star came flooding out during a therapy session in June, 2015, and admits she felt shame, guilt, and depression.
She is suing Kelly for at least $50,000 (£38,200).
Kelly was previously acquitted of child pornography charges back in 2008.
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