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The R. Kelly scandal: A timeline
From CNN's Lisa Respers France
Accusations of abuse, manipulation and inappropriate encounters with girls and young women have been around -- and vehemently denied -- by R. Kelly for decades.
Here is a timeline of the allegations and trials:
- August 1994: The 27-year-old singer reportedly marries his 15-year-old protege, Aaliyah Haughton. Kelly is the lead songwriter and producer on her debut album, "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number." The marriage is annulled the following year after Aaliyah's family becomes aware of it,according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
- December 1996: Tiffany Hawkins sues Kelly, claiming personal injuries and emotional damage arising from an alleged sexual relationship with Kelly, which she says began when she was 15 and ended when she was 18. That case is settled out of court.
- December 2000: Jim Derogatis and Abdon M. Pallasch publish their first report in the Chicago Sun-Times on allegations of Kelly having sexual relationships with girls as young as 15.
- August 2001: Tracy Sampson, an aspiring rapper and former intern at Epic Records, files a lawsuit against Kelly claiming that he initiated a sexual relationship with her when she was 17. The case is settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
- February 2002: The Chicago Sun-Times reports Kelly is being investigated by police after another sex tape is sent anonymously. He denies the charges.
- April 2002: The singer is sued by Patrice Jones, who alleges she was 16 when she began a sexual relationship with Kelly. The case is settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
- May 2002: Dancer Montina "Tina" Woods, 33, sues Kellyafter she alleges he secretly taped their sexual encounterand the tape was being sold. The case is settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
- June 2002: Kelly is indicted on child p*rnography charges for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with an unidentified underage girl. The case went to trial in 2008 and Kelly was acquitted.
- July 2017: An explosive Buzzfeed articleclaims the singer is holding a group of adult women against their will as part of what some of their parents said was a "cult." Kelly's attorney dismisses the "debunked" allegations. One of the womenlater denies publiclythat she was being "brainwashed" by Kelly and says, "I'm totally fine."
- August 2017: A 24-year-old womanalleges she had a sexual relationship with Kellywhen she was 16. Kelly denies the accusation and no criminal charges are filed.
- May 2018: A 20-year-old woman files suit against the singer, claiming he unlawfully gave her alcohol, assaulted her and gave her a sexually transmitted disease.
- January 2019: "Surviving R. Kelly" premieres to big ratings andrenews calls for Kelly to be investigated.
Family profiled in "Surviving R. Kelly" say they hope charges lead to justice
From CNN's Pamela Kirkland
The family of Joycelyn Savage, one of the women featured in Lifetime's "Surviving R. Kelly," said they are hopeful that the charges against R. Kelly will "will lead to justice."
Savage family attorney Gerald Griggs just released this statement:
"After two years of extensive work, investigation, and a lot of prayer, my clients are hopeful that the recent charges against Robert Sylvester Kelly will lead to justice. We are ready to travel to Chicago to reunite the Savage family with Joycelyn Savage."
Later, Griggs released a longer statement on behalf of the family:
“More than two years ago when the Savage family first approached me about this case, I quickly recognized that multiple crimes were committed. I’ve repeatedly asked law enforcement to investigate this case and provided evidence directly linked to Robert Kelly. Today, a Grand Jury found the evidence we provided was sufficient for trial. We knew eventually that this day would come. We are hopeful now that with an indictment and the arrest of Mr. Kelly that Joycelyn Savage will soon be reunited with her family.”
Charges against R. Kelly will be announced at 3 p.m. ET
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx will announces charges against R. Kelly at 3 p.m. ET, according to a release from her office.
We'll be covering the announcement live here.
R. Kelly tape appears to show sex acts with 14-year-old girl
CNN has seen the VHS tape that appears to show singer R. Kelly having sex with a girl who refers to her body parts as 14 years old.Attorney Michael Avenatti, who is representing a man he calls a whistleblower against Kelly, says he handed the tape to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in Chicago last weekend.
"It was very disturbing," said CNN correspondent Sara Sidner.
"What we saw was a girl onthe tape and a man who appearedto be R. Kelly completely nude,constantly changing the camera,making sure that you could seethe entire scene, the entire sexacts that were happening.There were multiple sex acts onthat tape.There was urination going onthat was videotaped, and weheard the girl say, over andover again, at least six times,she referred to her 14-year-oldgenitalia. And he in turn a couple of timesalso mentioned her 14-year-oldgenitalia."
The grand jury viewed the tape, and had been listening to several witnesses over the past few days. They just indicted Kelly, though the charges have not yet been released.
R. Kelly indictment follows decades of sexual assault allegations
From CNN's Sara Sidner
Last week, a grand jury convened in Cook County, Illinois, in connection with new allegations against singer R. Kelly.
Attorney Michael Avenatti announced last week that he had handed over to the State's Attorney's office a videotape that he says shows Kelly engaging in sex acts with an underage girl.
CNN has seen the VHS tape that appears to show Kelly having sex with a girl who refers to her body parts as 14 years old.Avenatti, who is representing a man he calls a whistleblower against Kelly, says he handed the tape to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in Chicago last weekend.
What is on the video mirrors some of the alleged acts for which Kelly was arrested for child p*rnography in 2002, when he was 35, and then acquitted six years later.
Kelly has been associated withclaims of sexual misconduct with minors and other crimesfor more than two decades. He has been sued by multiple women accusing him of having sex with them when they were underage. He has denied the accusations and all cases, with the exception of the trial where he was acquitted, have been settled out of court.
Musician R. Kelly has been indicted
From CNN's Sara Sidner
An indictment has been handed down against musician R. Kelly by the Cook County State's Attorney's office, two sources with knowledge of the development tell CNN.
