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Things are heating up for R. Kelly as his controversial Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly is set to debut. Now his lawyer has threatened to sue the network if they don’t halt the airing of the docu-series Thursday night, TMZ reports.
Kelly’s lawyer Brian Nix sent the network a strongly worded legal letter threatening a federal lawsuit if the six-part docu-series comes on. Nix said he may file the lawsuit Thursday if Lifetime doesn’t comply and pull the special.
“Lifetime’s 6-part documentary will feature, for the first time ever, people from Kelly’s inner circle coming forward with new allegations that Kelly has sexually, mentally and physically abused women,” writes the site. Kelly has maintained his innocence and denies the accusations. He contends that those featured in the documentary are trying to pursue fame.
According to TMZ, Kelly claims that he has two audio recordings which shows that Lifetime had knowledge that the claims were untrue, but couldn’t turn back after greenlighting the show’s budget.
The news comes a day after the mother of the late singer Aaliyah denied a back-up singer’s claim that R. Kelly had sex with her then-underaged daughter.
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Diane Haughton, who rarely speaks publicly about her late daughter, has emerged from the shadows to shoot down rumors heavily circulating about the singer’s alleged underage sexual relationship with R. Kelly.
Yahoo reports that Haughton said she’s tired of her daughter’s name getting “dragged through the mud with lies” after hearing a former back up singer’s claim that she witnessed the disgraced singer R. Kelly having sex with Aaliyah at the age of 15 inside a tour bus.
Surviving R. Kelly is scheduled to air through Jan. 5 and feature the testimony of back-up singer Jovante Cunningham and also a number of women who have accused the R&B singer of domestic abuse and sexual assault throughout his career.