R. Kelly is in the building, or so it seems. According to TMZ, the maligned singer and his legal team are in court today to make two pressing demands. First off, attorney Steve Greenberg will be furthering his client's case for the reinstatement of his passport. Kelly hopes he'll be granted an exception for a trip to Dubai, where he'd be performing a series of concerts.
Secondly, Greenberg and company are about to file a request over the sex tapes forming the basis of sexual abuse trial. They want to take a look at them for before they go to trial, in order to better prepare themselves for the inevitable.
R. Kelly arrived at the Cook County courthouse around 7:20 this morning, 25 minutes before his hearing was slated to begin. If everything goes to plan, prosecutors will be forced to hand over a duplicate copy of the tapes. As it's been noted, Michael Avenatti was able to produce a second sex tape before the submission deadline passed.
TMZ is streaming the hearing over at this link. Bu keep in mind, the feed isn't being broadcast over solid lines, so don't expect three-bar signal strength at any given time. One thing is for certain though: R. Kelly will know whether he can leave for Dubai by the end of this hearing, so keep it locked.