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Knock, knock. The city inspectors have arrived.
Earlier today, R. Kelly‘s recording studio in the West Loop of Chicago received some unexpected visitors when several inspectors from the city Department of Buildings gained access to his warehouse.
According to multiple local reports, the inspection was granted by a Cook County Judge last week after city attorneys suspected people may be living in the building even though the space has not been zoned for that purpose.
Kelly’s rep had no comment about the inspection. E! News also reached out to the singer’s attorney.
A spokesperson for Chicago’s Department of Buildings told E! News: “To be clear, the City’s emergency motion to gain entry to the building is not related to any criminal case and would only result in building code violations.”
The development comes days after Lifetime aired a docu-series titled Surviving R. Kelly. In the episodes, accusers came forward with allegations of sexual, mental and physical abuse against the singer.
Kelly and his team have consistently denied any allegations of abuse or misconduct. The singer has also not been convicted of any crimes connected with the allegations.
After the episodes aired, his attorney appeared on ABC News to address the claims made against the singer.
“We know what happened, and we know those things didn’t happen,” attorney Steven Greenberg shared in a pre-taped interview. “The man was not operating a harem, or a sex cult, or holding people hostage or anything like that.” His attorney also hinted that R. Kelly may sue Lifetime for defamation.
“People shouldn’t be able to do this to someone,” he added.
Since Surviving R. Kelly premiered, many celebrities including John Legend, Lady Gaga and Keke Palmer have spoken out against the singer. A movement has also been launched to #MuteRKelly.
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