R. Kelly Trouble: Judge Reprimands Singer's Former Lawyers For Using Damaging Insults in Court
R. Kelly received good news during the latest hearing, but something also happened that caused the judge to have enough.
For the first time since he has been imprisoned, R. Kelly appeared before District Judge Ann Donnelly. She presides over the case in a federal court in Brooklyn.
During the hearing, they all brought back the pretrial concerns, including the reason behind the alleged resignation of R. Kelly's attorneys.
Prior to the singer's scheduled trial, Mike Leonard and Steven Greenberg filed a request to Donnelly. They reportedly want to quit the legal team since the other lawyers do not have "enough level of experience and skill."
The Thursday's appearance then became a place for war of words among the attorneys to the point that Judge Donnelly reprimanded them for mudslinging. The disputes seemingly went overboard that the judge finally interrupted and stopped everyone from dropping more accusations.
"I frankly have had enough," Donnelly said. But Thomas Farinella continued to drop more accusations. Meanwhile, Greenberg, who joined the hearing through teleconference, said that he does not want his name to be dragged that way.
Following the heated exchange, Judge Donnelly announced that she will approve the withdrawal request before the trial.
R. Kelly, Team Receive Good News
At the same court hearing, Judge Donnelly said that the jury selection will be pushed through on August 9. However, she did approve the request of R. Kelly's team to delay the opening statements.
The trial will now be held on August 18 in favor of the singer's attorneys.
The decision has been granted after his new representative Deveraux Cannick asked a judge to postpone the upcoming sex trafficking trial. He submitted a formal letter to the judge asking for an extension since he still has not prepared due to R. Kelly's mandatory quarantine.
The disgraced singer underwent a 14-day quarantine at the Metropolitan Detention Center following his transfer from Chicago. Cannick also noted that they would have a hard time securing one of the conference rooms in the New York City jail.
Meanwhile, the legal team tried to convince the judge to have Kelly be released on bail so he could assist them during the trial. However, Judge Donnelly quickly denied it.
Still, she assured that they could communicate with the singer 24/7 now.
