R. Kelly tells judge he fired 2 of his lawyers as they move to quit case
Two lawyers for R. Kelly are set to leave the case ahead of his sexual abuse trial, something the disgraced R&B star insists was his decision.
Lawyers Steve Greenberg and Michael Leonard filed a request in court to withdraw from Kelly's case on Monday, saying they no longer want to represent him while citing issues with his other two lawyers, ABC News and The New York Times report.
"While we realize that this request comes close to trial — and although we are ready to proceed to trial as scheduled in August — our reasons for withdrawal are significant, and it is impossible, in our belief, for us to be able to continue to properly represent Mr. Kelly under the current circumstances," Greenberg wrote, per ABC News.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Kelly, who is facing racketeering charges, told the judge on Wednesday that he fired the lawyers from his team, Reuters reports. Greenberg, though, told ABC News that he and Leonard already decided to withdraw before Kelly fired them. Greenberg also told The New York Times that he tried twice to meet with Kelly to discuss his concerns about his other lawyers, but Kelly refused.
"It's unfortunate because these other people are clueless," Greenberg told the Times. "But that's his choice. You can't save someone from themselves."
Greenberg and Leonardy previously told TMZ they "refused to try a case with lawyers who don't have the appropriate level of experience and skill because that is not in the client's best interest," while the other attorneys, Thomas A. Farinella and Nicole Blank Becker, asserted, "Mr. Kelly terminated both lawyers prior to filing their motion."
With these two lawyers remaining on the case, the trial is set to begin on Aug. 9.
-
How climate change is affecting ChristmasThe Explainer There may be a slim chance of future white Christmases
-
The MAGA civil war takes center stage at the Turning Point USA conferenceIN THE SPOTLIGHT ‘Americafest 2025’ was a who’s who of right-wing heavyweights eager to settle scores and lay claim to the future of MAGA
-
The 8 best drama movies of 2025the week recommends Nuclear war, dictatorship and the summer of 2020 highlight the most important and memorable films of 2025
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
