An R. Kelly victim was awarded access to the singer’s music royalties.
As reported on Vibe, Heather Williams was granted access to his Sony Music royalties, which has an estimated worth of $1.5 million.
The Illinois Supreme Court says claims made by Williams should be “given precedence over the disgraced singer’s Chicago landlord, whom he also owes $3.5 million. Williams was also granted the reward because she was the first to properly demand the money from Sony,” the article reports.
In 2019, Williams filed the lawsuit against the convicted singer. She claims when she was 16, R. Kelly invited her to his studio to shoot a music video. At some point, R. Kelly engaged in sexual activities with Williams while she was underaged. In 2020, she was granted a $4 million settlement. The article also says, “the court later ruled that Williams should continue receiving his royalties until the judgment is paid off.”
R. Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean says she’s working to appeal Williams’ judgment. She argued that the “default” judgment awarded to Williams “never should have been entered.”
R. Kelly currently serving a 30-year prison sentence in his New York case. He won’t be eligible for release until he’s 80. In his Chicago federal trial, he was sentenced to 20 years, 19 of the years from this sentence will be served along with his New York sentence, which means he will spend an additional year in prison.
He’s appealing both convictions. He had a pending case in Hennepin County, Minnesota, facing solicitation charges.
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