Victims of R. Kelly, who were featured in the Lifetime docuseries, “Surviving R. Kelly,” are entitled to $10.5 million from the disgraced singer and his former manager Donnell Russell, after a judge’s ruling Monday.
In court documents obtained by TMZ, Kelly and Russell were accused of using violent intimidation to shut down a December 2018 screening of the docuseries in New York City. After legal efforts to stop it were unsuccessful, Kelly and Russell orchestrated a mass shooting threat to prevent the event from taking place. Russel was convicted of threatening physical harm through interstate communication in July of 2022 and sentenced to a year in prison.
As a result, the screening was canceled and the victims have said the ordeal triggered PTSD and panic attacks. The six women will receive between $1.1 and $2.5 million each.
The accomplished singer and producer has recently taken some huge hits to his pockets. On Aug. 23, a judge ordered that a total of around $500,000 of his royalty payments, which are being held by Universal Music Group, be garnished to pay restitution for his victims.
In March, Heather Williams, who says she was 16 when Kelly began sexually assaulting her, was awarded $1.5 million worth of royalties and a separate $4 million from a 2019 lawsuit.
In September of 2022, the Federal Bureau of Prisons handed over the nearly $28,000 Kelly had in his commissary to pay down his restitution debt.
The 56-year-old is currently serving a 31-year sentence for a variety of sex crimes.
