R. Kelly Silenced Aaliyah & Her Family With NDAs
According to the most recent episode of Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly: The Final Chapter, after his marriage to the 15-year-old R&B singer Aaliyah, and the subsequent annulment, R. Kelly used non-disclosure agreements to silence Aaliyah and her family.
Aaliyah, also known as Jane Doe #1, allegedly wed R. Kelly in secret in 1994 when they were both barely 15 years old. The family agreed to a deal with Kelly and signed an NDA indicating they would not take legal action in exchange for the rights to his first three albums, according to Kelly’s childhood buddy and former security guard Gem Pratt. Journalist Jim DeRogatis, who first reported on R. Kelly’s abuse in the 1990s, called the NDA “a harrowing document.”
She and Kelly signed a non-disclosure agreement pledging not to pursue additional legal claims for physical abuse. Therefore, it wasn’t only a sexual contact between minors; he allegedly hit her, according to that court document.