American singer-songwriter R. Kelly arrived in Chicago court on Wednesday (local time) for a hearing regarding his ongoing child support case.
The 52-year-old singer was released from jail over the weekend after he was arrested a week ago for not being able to pay USD 161,633 he owed in back child support, reported E! News.
Kelly appeared at a hearing for the case last Wednesday as well before he was taken into custody.
According to NBC News as cited by E! Online, Kelly's publicist Darryl Johnson told the media before the hearing this Wednesday that his client wanted to petition to lower his monthly child support payments.
Johnson also added that Kelly can't work because of "all these accusations and lies," probably referring to the 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse he pleaded not guilty to last month and also a slew of allegations against him.
After the hearing, Kelly's attorney Steve Greenberg spoke to the press and said he could not comment on his client's divorce proceedings and what happened inside the courtroom because the case is under seal.
The singer is due to appear in court for this case again in May.
However, Greenberg did address talk of a meeting between Kelly's girlfriend Jocelyn Savage and her family and the singer's other girlfriend Azriel Clary with her family.
The two women spoke about the singer and the current situation at length during an interview with Gayle King for 'CBS This Morning'. They also went on to share that they are in love with Kelly and they live with him.
However, their parents have publicly alleged that the star has brainwashed their daughters. They also claimed that Jocelyn and Azriel are living with Kelly against their will and are a part of what the parents describe as his "sex cult."
These claims were denied by both women. Kelly has also repeatedly denied all the allegations of sexual misconduct.
Greenberg, in an interaction with the press, told them that the women can make whatever decision they want to make about seeing their parents as they are adults, adding that Kelly does not control them. He also alleged that both Jocelyn and Azriel were told they had to meet at a remote location and they don't want to do that.
While Greenberg stated that he does not represent Jocelyn or Azriel, he invited their parents to contact him to set up a meeting in Chicago without the presence of law enforcement, a psychologist or the media.
"If they would like to set up a private meeting with their daughters, they can call me. I'm easy to find. We'll be happy to make that happen here in Chicago," he told the press.
The singer has been embroiled in a slew of legal problems and scandals lately.
Kelly was released from jail on February 25 after being charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against four alleged victims.
The 52-year-old singer secured his release by paying 10 per cent of his USD 1 million bail amount.
Last week, Kelly was arrested again for not being able to pay outstanding child support. He was released from jail on March 9 after someone anonymously paid USD 161,633 the singer owed in back child support.
Earlier this year, a Chicago judge issued an order stating that the singer will head back to jail if he doesn't pay USD 161,663, which he owes his ex-wife Andrea Kelly. The two share three children.
According to a report by E Online, Andrea's manager had informed media that Kelly stopped making required USD 20,000 monthly child support payments last spring.
The ongoing legal issue is entirely unrelated to his highly publicised sexual abuse charges.
The allegations around the singer rose after the broadcast of 'Surviving R. Kelly'. Last year, reports of Kelly holding women captive in a "sex cult" were published. Multiple other reports have surfaced over the years.
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