The troubled 'I Believe I Can Fly' hitmaker has been battling to have his child support payments to ex-wife Andrea lowered, claiming he can no longer afford the $21,000 agreed in their divorce.
- Oct 30, 2019
AceShowbiz - R. Kelly must use his song royalty cheques to continue paying child support to his ex-wife, a judge has ruled.
The embattled "I Believe I Can Fly" hitmaker spent three days locked up in Chicago, Illinois in March after skipping a court deadline to settle his debts with Andrea Kelly, who claimed she was owed more than $160,000 (£124,000) to help care for their three children.
He was only released from jail after an anonymous donor paid off his debt, and he subsequently found a way to hand over enough money each month to avoid further time behind bars.
Kelly has also been fighting to have his child support payments lowered, insisting he can no longer afford the $21,000 (£16,300) he previously agreed to in the former couple's 2009 divorce due to a lack of work as he faces felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
His previous attempt to have the figure reduced in March was dismissed, and now the judge overseeing the dispute has ordered the singer to use earnings from his music back catalogue to continue meeting the payment deadlines, according to TMZ.
It's the latest of Kelly's legal woes - he is currently in jail awaiting trial on numerous federal and state sex abuse charges brought by prosecutors in New York and Chicago, Illinois.
