Attorneys for R. Kelly allege that the singer suffered an overdose last week, caused by medication administered by prison staff. In a legal filing dated June 17 and obtained by USA TODAY, Kelly’s legal team contends that after being placed in solitary confinement, he was given an excessive amount of medication on June 12 compared to his regular dosages for anxiety and sleep, which led to his hospitalization on June 13.
According to the motion, Kelly was forcibly taken from Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, against medical advice. The Bureau of Prisons has not commented on the case due to ongoing litigation.
R. Kelly, born Robert Kelly, is currently serving a 30-year sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking, having begun his incarceration in 2022 at the Federal Correctional Institution facility in Butner, North Carolina.
Leading up to the alleged overdose, the singer’s lawyers assert that he was placed in solitary confinement on June 10, which they describe as being done “against his will”. This occurred shortly after Kelly’s team submitted an emergency motion requesting a furlough, alleging that three Bureau of Prisons officials had conspired to have him harmed by another inmate.
In the early hours of June 13, Kelly reportedly awoke feeling faint and dizzy. “He started to see black spots in his vision. Mr. Kelly tried to get up, but fell to the ground,” the motion details. “He crawled to the door of the cell and lost consciousness.”
When on-site medical personnel were unable to assist him, an ambulance transported him to Duke University Hospital, where he remained hospitalized for two days. Kelly’s legal team was finally able to speak with him on June 16, after a scheduled call was canceled without explanation.
This story is still developing.