Six victims of R. Kelly have filed a new lawsuit seeking nearly $10 million in unpaid damages from a 2022 judgment. The victims, who were featured in the Lifetime docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly," have only received approximately $500,000 of the $10.3 million awarded to them.

Photo Credit: R. Kelly at Groovin in the Park 2017 by comechatwitmi / CC by 3.0

The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, names:

• R. Kelly (currently incarcerated)
• Former manager Donnell Russell
• Universal Music
• Universal Music-Z Tunes
• IndyBuild (Chicago-based revenue sharing platform)

The plaintiffs - Lizette Martinez, Lisa Van Allen, Kelly Rodgers, Faith Rodgers, Roderick Gartell, and Gem Pratts - were awarded:

• $5.1 million in compensatory damages
• $4.5 million in punitive damages
• Daily interest of $2,450.30

The lawsuit claims Universal Music, despite ending their co-publishing agreement with Kelly in 2019, remains contractually obligated to collect and remit music publishing royalties, which should be directed to the victims.

Kelly, once a prominent R&B artist, is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence at Butner Federal Prison in North Carolina. His 2022 conviction includes charges of sex trafficking, racketeering based on sexual exploitation of children, and producing child pornography.

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