R. Kelly Has No Love for Former Friend/Employee

By Joanna Miller in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 5, 2006 8:26PM

If you’re like Chicagoist, you’d feel pretty bad if you were accused of beating up a long-time friend, cheating him out of money and facing a lawsuit over the whole mess. Especially if it were true. If, however, you find yourself in this position and it’s the least scandalous thing you’ve been accused of in a while, well, you’re probably R. Kelly.

Poor R. Kelly.

And poor Henry “Love” Vaughn.

Vaughn, a former employee and longtime “mentor and guide” to Kelly says the singer beat him during an argument at Kelly’s Olympia Fields home in February. He apparently confronted Kelly about an oral agreement to pay Vaughn one-half of royalties earned from a song they collaborated on – “Step in the Name of Love.”

According to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court, Kelly and others dragged Vaughn to the basement (bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce) where Kelly “repeatedly struck [Vaughn] about the face and body with his fists.”

A Kelly spokesperson is stepping on the name of “Love,” saying Vaughn is just a “hanger-on” who is trying to extort money from the singer.

A statement released by Allan Mayer says Kelly has written more than 2,000 songs without ever using a co-writer.

We’re inclined to believe this. “Trapped in the Closet,” anyone?

Olympia Fields police said they investigated the assault and battery allegations but would not discuss the incident.