R. Kelly’s new legal team has asked a judge to postpone the singer’s sex trafficking trial in New York City next month, arguing they haven’t had enough time to prepare.
The singer’s attorney Deveraux Cannick claims the I Believe I Can Fly hitmaker has been under a mandatory quarantine since his transfer from jail in Chicago, Illinois, and he and his team have not been able to meet since they were hired on 21 June.
In a letter to U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly, Cannick reveals he and the team will discuss the case face-to-face for the first time with the musician, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, on Tuesday – when his jailhouse quarantine ends.
“Robert is anxious to have his day in court; however not at the expense of his Sixth Amendment rights,” Cannick wrote in his missive, according to USA Today.
Kelly was placed in quarantine upon arrival at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on 22 June, shortly after he parted ways with two of his original defence team.
Judge Donnelly has yet to rule on the request for a delay to proceedings.
The I Believe I Can Fly singer was originally due to face allegations of leading an enterprise to recruit women and girls for sex and racketeering last year, but the trial was delayed until August amid the Covid-19 crisis.
He is also set for a separate trial for his child pornography charges in his native Chicago, Illinois in September.
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all counts and denies any wrongdoing.
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