CBA Record September-October 2022

A Frontline View of the R. Kelly Investigation By Seth Stern

T he journalistic and legal challenges O0'/L'UV O0 +U-/+)O0Q /0 >e [ULLn5* criminal trials were the subject of a lively discussion at a recent meeting of )PU !"#5* YUVOs s0V b0)U+)sO02U0) Zsp Committee. The event, held two days rUS/+U s SUVU+sL N(VQU O0 XUp y/+M *U0f tenced Kelly to 30 years, featured music journalist Jim DeRogatis and lawyer Damon Dunn of the Chicago firm a(0MP/(*U+ 6UQ/*U0 ZOUr2s0 . z(00 Ltd. Seth Stern, a member of that law u+2g *U+'UV s* )PU 2/VU+s)/+e zU>/Qs)O* u+*) +U-/+)UV )PU *Uo(sL abuse allegations against Kelly nearly two decades ago and authored the book Soul less: The Case Against R. Kelly in 2019. Dunn has decades of experience in media and First Amendment law, conducted the pre f publication reviews and advised several of zU>/Qs)O*5* -(rLO*PU+*g O0WL(VO0Q V(+O0Q [ULLn5* JccD W+O2O0sL )+OsL O0 !POWsQ/e Early Reporting zU>/Qs)O* +UWsLLUV )Ps)g sL)P/(QP [ULLn5* -+/WLO'O)OU* pU+U pULLfM0/p0 S/+ */2U time – he married his protégé Aalliyah in 1994 when she was 15 and he was 27 – the media and record industry turned s rLO0V UnU s* [ULLn rUWs2U <)PU 2/*) successful musician Chicago ever pro f V(WUVe: _OQP *WP//L )UsWPU+* p/(LV ps+0 students against talking to Kelly when PU ps*

s VUSs2s)O/0 Ws*Ug s -+O'sWn Ws*Ug: s0V 2OQP) *(U s* s <-+/on: S/+ [ULLne 9L)Of 2s)ULng PU *sOVg <)PU SsW)/+ ^ W/0*OVf ered the most was that I had not seen a *)/+n pO)P s* 2(WP *P/UfLUs)PU+ +U-/+)f O0Q O0'U*)UV O0 O) s* )PO* O0O)OsL Uo-/*qe: DeRogatis noted that, after such VU)sOLUV +U-/+)O0Qg /Qs)O*5* W/0WU+0* included having to disclose sources pP/ 2sn Ps'U 'O/Ls)UV 0/0fVO*WL/f

sure agreements with Kelly to speak to PO2B <;/ 2Ug O) ps* sLL sr/() -+/)UW)f O0Q )PU -U/-LU pP/ PsV )+(*)UV 2Ue: ](VQU 6O0WU0) `s(QPs0 VUWLO0UV )/ s--Ln )PU ^LLO0/O* >U-/+)U+5* @+O'OLUQU =)s)()U lEIG ^Z!= GdDfCcKk s0V P/LV )PU +U,(O*O)U U'OVU0)Os+n PUs+O0Q*g u0VO0Q )Ps) )PU )s-U ps* 0/) -+/)UW)UV <*/(+WU 2s)Uf +OsLe:z(00 ,(U*)O/0UVB

12 September/October 2022

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