Looks like someone by the self-given name of the Pied Piper is stepping in the name of investigation.
Following the airing of Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly, a Cook County Judge has granted an emergency motion allowing Chicago building inspectors to investigate the singer’s studio, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Judge Patrice Ball-Reed ordered the inspection to take place on Wednesday, January 16. R. Kelly’s legal team doesn’t so much have an issue with the inspection so much as they do the “emergency” part of it. Yeah, I’m sure they do.
Chicago Tribune reporter Jason Meisner live-tweeted the media circus as it went down.
“The property is zoned for commercial purposes only, so there shouldn’t be anyone living there or having any kind of parties there,” noted City of Chicago attorney Kimberly Roberts. “So because of the issue of public safety, we need to get inside and assess what’s going on.”
If you recall, the documentary included claims of statutory rape within the studio’s confines.
After shortly touching on the eviction case he says was “settled by agreement,” R. Kelly’s lawyer, Melvin Simms, walked out of the follow-up news conference without answering further questions.
A conference he invited press to, no less, then asked them to simply email their questions.
Consequences of the violation include a fine up to $1,000 per day. Additionally, building owner Midwest Commercial Funding LLC is undergoing an eviction process against R. Kelly for his failure to pay rent.
On Wednesday night, a group of protesters stood outside the singer’s studio as part of the #MuteRKelly movement.
Another attorney for the R&B singer, Steven Greenberg, recently appeared on Friday’s episode of Good Morning America in a pre-taped interview.
“We know what happened, and we know those things didn’t happen,” said Greenberg. “The man was not operating a harem, or a sex cult, or holding people hostage or anything like that.”
He also touched on Lady Gaga’s recent apology and vow to remove her single with R. Kelly from streaming platforms.
“Now, there were rumors about Mr. Kelly back then,” Greenberg recalled. “What has changed between then and now? I’ll tell you what’s changed between then and now. She says, ‘If I don’t disclaim my association with him, it might hurt my chance to get an Oscar.’ That’s exactly what it is.”