Six women are to be awarded a total of around $10.5 million for alleged threats made against them by R. Kelly and his team. The individuals were looking to hold a screening of the docuseries Surviving R. Kelly in 2018, however, it was eventually called off due to the threats. According to the civil suit, the victims now struggle with PTSD as well as panic attacks as a result.
TMZ reports that Kelly and his former manager, Donnell Russell, had attempted to get the screening shut down for some time. They allegedly made various attempts, which even included threatening the victims legally. According to the outlet, however, those attempts didn't work. They then decided to take things up a notch, reportedly telling producers on the night of the screening that someone was "going to shoot up the place."
R. Kelly Victims Now Suffer PTSD, Panic Attacks
The outlet also reports that the new judgment means each woman should be receiving somewhere between $1.1 million and $2.25 million. Unfortunately, Kelly has failed to properly pay his victims in the past, and whether or not he'll actually come up with the cash is unknown. Luckily, it was reported this week that a judge ordered for Kelly and Universal Music Group to hand over $500K in the artist's royalties in order to pay back his victims.
The news comes after the convicted sex offender got 20 years added to his prison sentence earlier this year. 19 of those years will be served concurrently with his 30 year sentence. He's serving time for various counts of sexual abuse. Earlier this summer, he accused the prison he's in of neglecting his medical needs, claiming he's "scared for [his] life." Keep an eye on HNHH for more updates on R. Kelly.