R. Kelly Issued Non-Disclosure Agreement To Aaliyah After 1994 Marriage Annulment

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R. Kelly and Aaliyah illegally wed in August 1994, with the singer being only 15 at the time. By February 1995, the marriage had been annulled by her parents, Michael and Diane Haughton. According to new information that’s surfaced during the final installment of Surviving R. Kelly, details regarding the nuptials and subsequent annulment remained under wraps—until now—because the 12 Play crooner forced the Haughtons to sign a NDA.

The non-disclosure agreement was actually discovered by Jim DeRogatis, the reporter who first broke the news of Kelly’s criminal, sexual exploits over two decades ago. DeRogatis told the New York Times that the annulment and Aaliyah’s legal claim against the crooner had been sealed.

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“It’s a harrowing document,” he explained. “A non-disclosure agreement on both her part and Kelly’s, vowing not to pursue further legal claims for physical abuse. So, it wasn’t just an underage sexual relationship, he hit her, allegedly, according to that court document.”

During one trial, the NDA in question was presented as evidence while Aaliyah was Jane Doe #1.

Though the Haughtons declined to comment to producers of the docuseries, members of Kelly’s camp who witnessed the wedding shed light on the disturbing incident.

Gem Pratt, a childhood friend of Kelly and his former security guard, claimed that the NDA ensured no charges would be pressed over the illegal marriage. This led the songwriter-producer to sell his rights to her first three albums as a financial incentive.

“[Aaliyah’s] dad didn’t want her anywhere near him,” Pratt stated in the docuseries.

The latest episode of Lifetime’s shocking docuseries, which aired earlier this week, focused on Kelly’s 2022 federal trial, in which he was found guilty on three of four counts of production of child pornography and three of five counts of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. Prior to that conviction, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison on nine counts of racketeering and sex-trafficking charges.

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