Music journalist Jim DeRogatis is fighting a subpoena forcing him to testify at R. Kelly’s trial after his home was allegedly shot at.
In a Tuesday court filing, DeRogatis was subpoenaed to take the stand but has refused to do so. DeRogatis’ legal team is asking the judge to rule that he doesn’t need to testify and calls for constitutional and other protections for the journalist.
The filing claims that if DeRogatis testifies, he could become vulnerable to “harassment or intimidation.” It also points out there are other ways to tie the facts in as evidence.
DeRogatis was a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times in the early 2000s. During his time there, DeRogatis received an anonymous video that helped authorities form Kelly’s 2008 child pornography trial. The evidence used in that case is also a part of the singer’s current trial.
According to the Tuesday filing, the DeRogatis family home was shot at after he first reported the video involving Kelly.
The lawyers for Kelly’s former business manager, Derrel McDavid, also subpoenaed DeRogatis to testify. If DeRogatis decides to take the stand, Kelly’s lawyers will also have a chance to question the journalist.
In 2019, DeRogatis wrote “Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly” and has criticized Kelly for years. In 2018, Kelly finally addressed DeRogatis in his song “I Admit.”
“To Jim DeRogatis, whatever your name is. You been tryna destroy me for 25 whole years,” he said in the song.
