A Nigerian Entertainment lawyer, Lydia Agu C. Hills, has filed a new lawsuit against singer R. Kelly, alleging sexual battery, false imprisonment and failure to disclose a sexually transmitted disease.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in a Manhattan court on behalf of a woman who says she was 19 when she began a relationship with R. Kelly.
According to the New York Times, the complaint, a Texas woman Faith A. Rodgers who seeks unspecified damages claims the two met when she was 19 last March following a concert in San Antonio. A few months of phone contact followed before Kelly flew her out to New York, where he allegedly "initiated unwanted sexual contact" in a hotel room, including "non-consensual oral and vaginal intercourse." Rodgers claims Kelly did not tell her that he had herpes and infected her with the virus, which if true is a criminal act.
Rodgers also alleged that she stayed in a relationship with Kelly for about a year, during which he "routinely engaged in intimidation, mental, verbal and sexual abuse, during and after sexual contact." This was "behavior designed to humiliate, embarrass, intimate and shame her," according to the lawsuit. It also alleges Kelly would often record Rodgers during sex without her consent and keep her locked in secluded areas to punish and control her.
The complaint is the latest of several recent sexual misconduct allegations that have been brought against Kelly, including claims of imprisonment and grooming young women to join his reported "sex cult."
Speaking to Billboard, Rodgers' attorney Lydia C said, "We want to make sure that we do justice for our client. This behavior of Mr. Kelly's is not new, so it shouldn't come as a surprise for anyone. But our ultimate goal is getting justice for her."
Lydia also took to her Facebook page to confirm that she's representing the victim allegedly involved in the sexual assault.
She wrote: 'Within minutes of filing this lawsuit today, it has been picked up by numerous media outlets. I'm proudly representing this victim of abuse and look forward to bringing her the justice and peace she deserves.'
