New R. Kelly Accuser Comes Forward With Underage Sex Claims
Source: Instagram
New Accuser Says She Was in Abusive Relationship w/ R. Kelly as a Minor
A woman is claiming that singer R. Kelly had an abusive sexual relationship with her while she was underage and then paid her large sums of money to keep quiet about the affair.
The story was written by veteran music reporter Jim DeRogatisfor BuzzFeed. Last month, DeRogatis published an explosive story alleging that R. Kelly was keeping numerous women against their will in some kind of "cult." (DeRogatis has spent nearly 20 years reporting on the singer and his numerous sexual allegations.)
READ: Georgia Official Calls For Criminal Investigation On R. Kelly
The woman at the center of the latest article is Jerhonda Pace, a 24-year-old mother of three. Pace said that she met Kelly when she was a 15-year-old high school sophomore and the singer was battling child pornogrpahy charges. A big fan, Pace went to the courtroom to support the singer. The next year, she was invited to his house for a party, where they had sexual relations for the first time. She was 16.
According to Pace the two started a relationship that lasted for eight months. By the summer of 2009, Pace admitted to Kelly that she was only 16, and he told her to lie and tell people she was 19 if anyone asked. When detailing what their situatioin was like, it sounded eerily similar to how the women in the first BuzzFeed story described it.
READ: There's A Petition Urging R. Kelly Be Removed From Soulquarius Lineup
Pace described the relationship as an abusive one where she had to follow his set of "rules," in which he controlled everything from how she dressed to what she ate to when she could use the bathroom. Often, when having sexual relations, the singer would tape their encounter, without her consent.
Pace ended the things in 2010 when Kelly became violent after he caught her texting a friend. Pace told BuzzFeed: "I was slapped and I was choked and I was spit on."
Pace went on to hire Chicago attorney Susan E. Loggans, who has represented R. Kelly victims in the past. She was able to reach a settlement within weeks of Pace distancing herself from the singer. In that settlement, she signed a non-disclosure agreement, one that she is breaking by talking to BuzzFeed.
After the story was published, Kelly's team responded. According to Vulture, his publicist Trevian Kutti responded to the story by releasing a statement:
"The allegations against Mr. Kelly are false, and are being made by individuals known to be dishonest. It is clear these continuing stories are the result of the effort of those with personal agendas who are working in concert to interfere with and damage his career. Mr. Kelly again denies any and all wrongdoing and is taking appropriate legal action to protect himself from ongoing defamation.
