A woman who accused R. Kelly of sexual abuse and claimed he gave her an STD said the R&B star sent a threatening letter to try and get her to drop a lawsuit against him.
Faith Rodgers alleged that Kelly wrote a letter threatening to reveal intimate details of her sexual history if she didn’t drop the lawsuit.
The letter said Kelly would demand medical documentation of her claim that he gave her herpes, force her to turn over texts and social media posts, and have ’10 personal male witnesses testifying under oath about her sex life’.
‘If Ms Rodgers really cares about her own reputation she should cease her participation and association with the organizers of this negative campaign,’ the letter continued.
Gloria Allred, who is representing Rodgers, also claimed Kelly posted private photos of the 21-year-old online in retaliation for the lawsuit and for speaking out against him on the recent Lifetime documentary series ‘Surviving R. Kelly’.
Faith Rodgers, 21, revealed Kelly wrote a letter threatening to reveal embarrassing details of her sexual history if she didn’t drop a lawsuit accusing him of sexual abuse
Rodgers, who has also accused Kelly of giving her an STD, alleges that Kelly posted private photos of her online in retaliation for the lawsuit
But Rodgers (pictured with her attorney Gloria Allred on Monday), who began dating R. Kelly when she was 19, made it clear she was not going to stand down
But Rodgers, who began dating R. Kelly when she was 19, made it clear she was not going to stand down.
‘Taking a stand against R. Kelly, someone who has been termed “the King of R&B” and is loved by many, has not been easy,’ Rodgers said during a press conference in New York on Monday.
‘I decided after a great deal of thought that I should speak my truth, because it is time I stand up for myself.’
‘I trusted him and he betrayed my trust. Once I recognized my worth, I knew I had to walk away.’
‘No woman should be victim-shamed, harassed, or retaliated against because she spoke her truth.’
‘Taking a stand against R. Kelly, someone who has been termed “the King of R&B” and is loved by many, has not been easy,’ Rodgers said during a press conference in New York on Monday
Rodgers also spoke directly to Kelly, telling him she was no longer the girl he once knew and that she was ‘much wiser and stronger’
‘We are here today to let Mr Kelly know in no uncertain terms that he cannot and will not intimidate his alleged victims into keeping silent about their allegations,’ Allred added.
Rodgers also spoke directly to Kelly, telling him she was no longer the girl he once knew.
‘Robert Kelly, the Faith Rodgers you knew – that you met when I was 19 years old – no longer exists. She was vulnerable. The 21-year-old Faith Rodgers you’re seeing now is much wiser and much stronger,’ she said.
‘There is absolutely no excuse for abuse, and no one deserves to be afraid.’
The threatening letter was sent to Lydia Hills, one of Rodgers’ lawyers in New York, a few weeks after the singer was served with the lawsuit in October.
Rodgers’ civil suit accuses Kelly of demeaning her, locking her in rooms and vehicles, and subjecting her to ‘non-permissive, painful and abusive sex’.
Rodgers’ civil suit accuses Kelly of demeaning her, locking her in rooms and vehicles, and subjecting her to ‘non-permissive, painful and abusive sex’
Steve Greenberg, one of Kelly’s lawyers in Chicago, denied the letter’s authenticity and said it ‘looks fake’.
‘It obviously was not authored or signed by Mr Kelly, nor sent on his behalf,’ Greenberg said. ‘He doesn’t write letters.’
Rodgers has spoken at length about her one-year relationship with Kelly, claiming the singer mentally, sexually, and verbally abused her while they were together.
The pair met after one of Kelly’s concerts in San Antonio. She was 19, he was 50.
‘He was older than me. And that was a red flag. You know?’ Rodgers told CBS News in May. ‘But he doesn’t act his age. You feel like, I’m chillin’ with somebody I went to high school with.’
Allred, who represents three women with accusations against Kelly, said she and Rodgers were meeting the New York Police Department later on Monday to discuss the investigation
The threatening letter was sent to Lydia Hills (pictured right), one of Rodgers’ lawyers in New York, a few weeks after the singer was served with the lawsuit in October
Steve Greenberg (pictured), one of Kelly’s lawyers in Chicago, denied the letter’s authenticity and said it ‘looks fake’
After a couple months of texting and FaceTiming, Rodgers said Kelly flew her out to New York and paid for her hotel, where he visited her after one of his concerts.
‘He turns on all the lights…And he’s like, ”Take off your clothes,”‘ Rodgers recalled.
‘And he says it, you know, with authority in his voice. Not just, you know, he’s demanding me to do this. And I didn’t take off my clothes because why would I? I just wasn’t ready….Sex isn’t something, you know, I’m ready for.’
Rodgers said she eventually ended up submitting to having sex, but claims Kelly recorded it on his iPad without her consent.
‘He has this type of, like, intimidation right off the bat. You know? So I was just waiting for it to be over,’ she added.
Rodgers said that Kelly would also regularly lock her in studios and cars – sometimes for as long as eight hours – if she failed to please him ‘sexually’.
Demonstrators have gathered near Kelly’s Chicago studio to call for a boycott of his music following the premiere of the Lifetime documentary series ‘Surviving R. Kelly’
Asked on Monday what she would say to Kelly today, Rodgers replied: ‘Time’s up’.
Her mother, Kelly Rodgers, said she and her husband had also received threats and intimidation attempts.
Allred, who represents three women with accusations against Kelly, said she and Rodgers were meeting the New York Police Department later on Monday to discuss the investigation.
‘Mr Kelly, you may soon join the ranks of Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein,’ Allred said.
‘You can look forward to a legacy which will not be your music, but rather the pain and suffering you inflicted on the many vulnerable teenagers and young women who claim they were victimized by you.’