R. Kelly is suing a New York prison for placing him on suicide watch, according to his lawyers. The disgraced R&B singer was sentenced to 30 years in prison last week after being convicted of nine crimes including sex trafficking and racketeering.
This evening we sued the MDC Brooklyn for illegally confining R. Kelly to suicide watch. pic.twitter.com/kY4X2h09Qp
— Jennifer Bonjean (@jenniferbonjean) July 1, 2022
- The lawsuit is against the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The facility placed R. Kelly, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, on suicide watch following the verdict last week. His attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, believes this was done for “purely punitive reasons in violation of his Eighth Amendment rights.” In other words, there’s no real merit to the idea that Kelly wants to take his own life and prison officials are simply trying to punish him.
- R. Kelly was allegedly afraid of being placed on suicide watch. This according to Bonjean, who said that despite the singer remaining upbeat and positive about appealing the verdict, Kelly believed this might happen. “My partner and I spoke with Mr. Kelly following his sentencing, he expressed that he was mentally fine, was behaving appropriately, and was eager to pursue his appeal,” she told E! News. “He did express concerns that even though he was NOT suicidal, [Metropolitan Detention Center] would place him on suicide watch.”
- Kelly’s lawyers have now filed a suit at Brooklyn federal court. In the suit, they’ve requested a temporary restraining order against the Brooklyn detention center and its warden, Heriberto Tellez, Pitchfork reports. The lawsuit goes on to say that when his legal team tried to reach Kelly at the facility after his sentencing, the staff “laughed and were highly unprofessional.”
- They believe placing R. Kelly on suicide watch is illegal. “MDC-Brooklyn has a policy of punishing high profile inmates by placing them under the harsh conditions of suicide watch even though they are not suicidal,” the suit states. Bonjean believes this measure is punishment because her client is high profile.
'30 years in prison is like a life sentence for him' — R. Kelly’s lawyer Jennifer Bonjean shared how the singer was feeling following his sentencing on Wednesday. Bonjean added they are planning to appeal the judge’s decision. pic.twitter.com/8xJQep3i05
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 29, 2022
