R. Kelly Wins Multi-Million-Dollar Judgment From Promoter

LOS ANGELES, CA. (Top40 Charts/ R. Kelly Official Website) - An impartial arbitrator has awarded R&B superstar R. Kelly $3.4 million in damages from tour promoter Leonard Rowe, according to court documents filed today.

Lawyers for Kelly filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court today to confirm the arbitration award against Rowe, who was the promoter for Kelly's 35-city "Double Up" Tour last fall and winter.

Kelly initiated legal action against the promoter while he was still on tour last February after Rowe defaulted on his obligations and failed to pay him several million dollars in tour proceeds he was owed. Not wanting to disappoint his fans, Kelly decided to complete the tour - in effect, performing for free.

"I agreed to let Leonard Rowe promote my tour because he convinced me he was an underdog who deserved a chance to prove himself," Kelly said. "Like the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished."

In addition to Kelly's legal action, Rowe has also been the target of a series of lawsuits filed by investors who accused the promoter of bilking them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by selling them non-existent shares in the "Double Up" Tour.

Kelly's contract with Rowe expressly barred the promoter from selling off shares in Kelly's shows without the singer's permission. In his ruling, Arbitrator Richard P. Byrne, a retired California Superior Court judge, determined that Rowe had done so without Kelly's knowledge or consent. As a result, in addition to awarding Kelly $3,397,410.38 in monetary damages, Judge Byrne also ordered Rowe to take full responsibility for all the lawsuits.