Usher has responded to a lawsuit that claims he failed to warn three people of his herpes diagnosis.
In August, two women and a man sued the singer, alleging he had sexual relations with them without telling them he had a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
In court documents, the U Got It Bad singer’s legal team “denies each and every allegation” made against him by Quantasia Sharpton and two others — identified as “Jane Doe” and “John Doe”— who filed a joint lawsuit in August.
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Usher — through his lawyers Laura Wassar and Zia Modabber — claims that if sexual contact did take place with his accusers, there wasn’t any intent to harm. “Any alleged conduct by Defendant, which is expressly denied, was unintentional,” the filing reads.
The 38-year-old singer says that they “assumed the risk of any alleged harm” by engaging in sexual contact.
He also further accuses the three individuals of “unclean hands,” meaning that they’ve committed some sort of wrongdoing.
“Usher’s lawyers filed a standard legal answer. We look forward to taking Usher’s deposition soon and to proving our case in court,” lawyer Lisa Bloom said in a statement to E! News.
In August, one of the three tested positive for an STI, 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.
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The lawsuit followed weeks of media speculation that the singer, whose full name is Raymond Usher IV, was diagnosed with herpes in 2012.
One of the plaintiffs, 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.
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Genital herpes can be passed on to unborn children and can even cause miscarriages, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bloom pointed out that Usher had 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.
The three plaintiffs are suing Usher for damages over alleged sexual battery, fraud, negligence and infliction of emotional distress.
— With files from Rahul Kalvapalle
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