A woman suing disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly for sexual assault claims the “Ignition (Remix)” hitmaker is threatening her in hopes that she would withdrawn her lawsuit.
Faith Rodgers says she met Kelly when she was 19-years-old backstage at a gig in San Antonio, Texas in March, 2017 and began a year-long relationship with the singer.
During their time together, she alleges the R. Kelly mentally, verbally and sexually abused her, which included locking her in rooms, studios, and cars to punish her for failing to fulfill his sexual desires.
In her lawsuit, filed last May (2018), Rodgers is suing R. Kelly for sexual battery, false imprisonment, and failure to disclose a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
During a press conference on Monday in New York City, Rodgers and her attorney, Gloria Allred revealed that Kelly was trying to intimidate her. They cite a letter Kelly allegedly sent to a previous attorney of the now-21 year old in October, threatening to disclose details about her sexual history if the case moved forward.
“If she persists in court action she will be subjected to public opinion during the discovery process,” read the notice. “For example, my law team is prepared to request the production of medical test results proving the origin of her STD claim, as well as 10 personal male witnesses testifying under oath about her sex life…”
It also warns her to drop the lawsuit if she “really cares about her own reputation.”
Rodgers, who was joined by her mother, Kelly Rodgers, stated, “No woman should be victim-shamed, harassed, or retaliated against because she asserted her rights and spoke her truth…”
The mother claims to have also received threats from Kelly against her and her husband regarding Faith’s lawsuit.
Kelly’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, has since dismissed the allegations of threats, declaring the letter “looks fake.”
R. Kelly, 52, has repeatedly denied long-running accusations of sexual misconduct, which have returned to headlines following the broadcast of the damning documentary ‘Surviving R. Kelly,’ which chronicled the years of allegations made against the embattled star. Faith was among the alleged victims who spoke out in the series.
Meanwhile, Rodgers and Allred were due to meet with New York Police Department officials after the press conference to share her story with authorities.
Prosecutors in Kelly’s native Illinois and Georgia, where he has property, have already launched investigations into sexual misconduct claims, and have appealed to alleged victims to come forward and speak out against the star.
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