R. Kelly's lawyer responds to ex-girlfriend's abuse claims
- Published
R. Kelly's lawyer says claims made about him being abusive to an ex-girlfriend are "lies" made for "personal profit".
An account claiming to be owned by Joycelyn Savage posted on website Patreon claims he was physically abusive towards her.
The post also says she had two abortions while living in R. Kelly's house and she was once "grabbed and choked" until she "blacked out".
Kelly is currently being held in a Chicago jail.
He is awaiting trial on charges of sexually abusing women and underage girls and has also been charged in New York.
He has pleaded not guilty to these charges.
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In a full statement issued to Variety, external, R. Kelly's lawyer Steve Greenberg said: "It is unfortunate that Joycelyn now seeks to make money by exploiting her long time, loving relationship with Robert."
"Obviously, if she were to tell the truth no one would pay so she has, unfortunately, chosen to regurgitate the stories and lies told by others for her own personal profit.
"We know the real facts, and it was not until the money ran out that she decided anything was wrong. Hopefully people will see it for the obvious profiteering it is."
Until recently, Jocelyn Savage, 24, was one of the singer's defenders. She appeared on American network CBS to speak in support of him in March 2019.
In an interview with Gayle King, she and Azriel Clary, another one of Kelly's live-in girlfriends, defended him despite their parents saying he was holding them hostage.
CBS says they have made attempts to verify whether the Patreon page is owned by Joycelyn but the paid blogging website has failed to prove it's actually her.
Azriel Clary and Joycelyn Savage both did an interview with Gayle King defending R. Kelly back in March
Joycelyn Savage met Kelly at his concert when she was 19.
In the posts, the writer claims that he promised to make her a famous singer, but once she moved into his home she was subject to abuse from him.
The posts describe him as a "monster who kept me as a prisoner" and claim he cut her phone off and told her she "couldn't do certain stuff without him knowing first or his assistant."
She described it as "being locked up like some damn animal" and also says Kelly forced her into saying things in the media.
In the CBS interview in March, Joycelyn Savage insisted she was "very happy" and said he never promised to further her career.
Gerald Griggs, a lawyer representing her family, says he is "about 85 to 90% confident" that the account on Patreon belongs to Joycelyn.
Griggs said Savage's family "is concerned about the allegations made by the social media account purported to be that of Joycelyn Savage.
"Numerous facts detailed by the account confirm the abuse and coercion that the family has alleged for two and a half years."
R. Kelly has consistently denied the claims made against him.
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