R. Kelly claims he can’t read or understand any words, especially in his legal cases, beyond that of a “grade-schooler.”
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, the convicted R&B singer is denying all accountability in the million-dollar lawsuit filed against him, claiming he never knew about their issues with Donnell Russell and shouldn’t be responsible for their fallout.
As we reported, the drama began in August 2023, when the women won $10.5 million after accusing Russell and Kelly of attempting to stop the 2018 New York City screening of the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” with a mass shooting threat.
R. Kelly Says He Can’t Read Or Understand Words Beyond A Teenager
In the filing, the singer insists that even if he got the legal documents in prison, he wouldn’t be able to understand them. “I would not have been able to understand the lawsuit or distinguish it from the many other legal documents that I received. It all looks the same to me,” he says.
Adding, “I rely on my lawyers to explain things to me because I cannot read or understand words beyond that of a grade-schooler.”
Kelly’s affidavit captured a lengthy rebuttal to the charges levied against him by six women. He noted the lawsuit had escaped his notice, given his incarceration in Butner FCI, North Carolina.
The “I Believe I Can Fly” hitmaker claimed he learned about the $10.5 million judgment awarded to these women through a friend. He has no recollection of ever receiving the lawsuit despite receiving various legal paperwork through his lawyers.
Playing the victim, the convicted singer tried to earn sympathy by confessing to being “emotionally wrecked and placed on suicide watch” since his 2021 conviction. He also noted that he had several other pending criminal cases in different state courts and had been sued so many times by different people that it was impossible to keep up.
“During this very confusing and chaotic time, I do not recall receiving the lawsuit in this case. I did not willfully ignore any lawsuit. I was transferred to the MCC Chicago in early July 2022 to face trial in the Northern District of Illinois,” Kelly explained, before adding:
“I never received any documents related to this Don Russell lawsuit in Chicago. I don’t know if anyone tried to send me mail related to this lawsuit, but it was common that my mail did not reach me. If I had notice of this lawsuit, I would have defended it.”
The media personality emphasized that he had nothing to do with Russell in 2018, claiming the latter had his own company and did not work for him in any capacity. As for the alleged shooting threat, Kelly denied his participation, writing:
“I had no knowledge that Don Russell was trying to stop the screening of the Lifetime show in New York. I did not ask him to do so. I had no advance knowledge that he was going to call in some type of threat. If he called in a threat to stop the screening in New York, he did that for his own reasons.”
Would throwing his former manager under the bus help the case against him go away? Only time will tell.
