Kenny Bryant claims that he has sought advice from Judge Adrienne Wooten, when she was still working as a lawyer, before launching the lawsuit against the 'I Believe I Can Fly' hitmaker.
- Jan 30, 2019
AceShowbiz - A Mississippi police officer suing R. Kelly for allegedly wrecking his marriage is seeking to have the judge overseeing the case step down.
Kenny Bryant sued the "I Believe I Can Fly" hitmaker in 2017, claiming the singer's affair with his wife Asia Childress derailed the couple's 2012 union and subsequently ruined his life.
In legal papers, Bryant explained he was aware of a prior relationship his wife reportedly had with Kelly, but he believes they rekindled their romance after Childress attended one of the musician's concerts in October, 2012. The event reportedly marked the start of their five-year extramarital affair, with Childress eventually asking Bryant for a divorce.
Kelly has admitted to knowing Childress, but insists he never slept with her, and demanded the suit be thrown out of court.
Now Bryant has filed a motion to have Judge Adrienne Wooten recused, because he is said to have spoken to her while she was working as a lawyer, seeking advice about his marriage, before he took Kelly to court.
In court papers obtained by The Blast, Bryant alleges they discussed "the affair he claimed that his then-wife was having with R. Kelly, the likely divorce, and whether she would represent him in that divorce, and if he had a cause of action against R. Kelly".
"In the course of his conversation, Plaintiff shared details regarding his relationship with his then-wife, and this potential suit with then-Attorney Wooten," the filing continues.
He is now questioning her "impartiality in this matter", even though Wooten declined to take on his divorce case in her capacity as an attorney.
She has since become a judge, and was handed the Kelly case in December (18) after the original court official retired.
Mississippi is one of few U.S. states in which people are able to sue others for causing marital breakdowns, and Bryant demanded damages for Kelly's apparent role in his ruined relationship, which led to the plaintiff purportedly suffering emotional and psychological issues, and financial loss.
The case is ongoing.
It's one of several legal headaches for Kelly, as he is also facing criminal investigations in Illinois and Georgia over accusations of sexual misconduct following explosive claims made in the documentary series "Surviving R. Kelly". A number of other alleged victims have also filed suit over accusations about his reported actions.
The musician has vehemently denied all allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour.
