R. Kelly’s legal team is arguing that anyone who’s seen the Lifetime documentary series Surviving R. Kelly should not be allowed to serve as jurors in the singer’s imminent federal trial in Illinois.
As TMZ first reported Monday morning, Kelly’s lawyers have filed a motion aiming to disqualify such jurors, arguing that individuals under consideration who have seen “any portion” of the series would not be able to offer a “fair” assessment of the case.
In a separate, more detailed report citing the same court documents, the Chicago Tribune noted that Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, had pointed to docuseries-viewing jurors as “possessing a mountain of information” akin to discovery.
“Allowing an individual to sit on this jury who has seen Surviving R. Kelly is no different than allowing a juror to sit on the jury who was permitted to preview the discovery in this case,” Bonjean is reported to have written in the motion, coverage of which arrives the same day jury selection is slated to begin.
Complex has reached out to Bonjean’s office for comment and will update this post accordingly. Last week, Bonjean responded to pregnancy claims connected to Joycelyn Savage, saying there is “no truth” to them.
“People are just insane,” Bonjean said in a tweet. “Carry on.”
In a prior case in New York, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison following a 2021 conviction on counts including racketeering and multiple predicate acts, including sexual exploitation of a child. The current Illinois case follows an indictment against Kelly, as well as two others, on charges including production of child pornography.
