American pop star Usher is being sued by two women and one man who allege the R&B singer didn’t reveal that he had genital herpes before engaging in sexual activity with them.
One of the trio has tested positive for the STD, lawyer Lisa Bloom said in a statement, adding that several other people had reached out to her office and could possibly be added to the lawsuit once their claims were reviewed.
The lawsuit was prompted by weeks of media speculation that the singer, whose full name is Raymond Usher IV, was diagnosed with herpes in 2012. He has not publicly responded to the reports.
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One of the plaintiffs, Quantasia Sharpton, told reporters that she had sex with Usher after a concert two years ago, just after her 19th birthday.
Sharpton, who tested negative for herpes, said the Dallas-born singer invited her backstage and later called her from a blocked number, before meeting her at her hotel room. She said that even though she didn’t contract herpes, she was deeply upset by reports of Usher’s diagnosis because she recently had a child.
Genital herpes can be passed on to unborn children and can even cause miscarriages, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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“I would never have consented if I would have known. I would not have taken the risk of getting an incurable disease… I feel that my rights were violated,” Sharpton said in her statement.
Bloom pointed out that Usher has not denied media reports that he paid a woman a $1.1-million settlement in 2012 after he transmitted herpes to her following unprotected sexual contact. That claim was first published by Radar Online three weeks ago.
Bloom called on the 38-year-old to either make a public statement or, if he doesn’t in fact have herpes, contact his intimate partners since 2012 to notify them and put their minds to rest. She said many people who had sexual contact with Usher tried to reach out to him, but were unable to contact him because he always called them from a blocked number.
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Neither Usher nor anyone else should be shamed or stigmatized for having herpes, Bloom said, but it’s important that the truth about his diagnosis be ascertained.
“We hope that he has not knowingly endangered his sex partners, fans who revered him and who were thrilled to receive his personal attention.”
Usher and his representatives haven’t responded.