R. Kelly's Marital Woes

Wed., Sep. 28, 2005 9:45 AM PDT by Josh Grossberg

More lady trouble for R. Kelly--but at least this case doesn't involve a camcorder.

Kelly's wife, Andrea, had obtained a restraining order against the R&B superstar earlier this month, claiming he slapped her. But on Monday, lawyers for both said Andrea Kelly has withdrawn the order in hopes the couple may reconcile.

Donald C. Schiller, a divorce attorney representing Andrea Kelly, 31, told the Chicago Sun-Times his client opted to dismiss the order of protection last Thursday "for the purpose of trying to work out their marital problems rather than proceeding in domestic violence court."

She sought the restraining order on Sept. 2, alleging the "Snake" singer physically abused her and verbally harassed her.

"[I was] fearful of him, and I want to get away safe and be happy," she wrote in court documents.

Kelly, whose maiden name is Andrea Lee, first met the Grammy winner back in 1996 when she was a dancer in his touring company.

She went to court following an Aug. 24 incident. She said she showed her husband a photo she took with their three children at Parrot Jungle Island in Miami, and he "snapped over a man in the background." Two days later, she accused him of going ballistic again, this time when she made a remark over a man in a magazine ad.

"Last summer I was slapped," Andrea Kelly wrote in her petition. "We made up but I asked for a divorce and he pinned me down and continued to hit me yelling 'Don't you leave me. Why are you leaving me?' He says, 'I'm sorry, I'm not a wife beater, my hand was open. It's not like I did it for no reason. You made me do it.' "

She said she did not call the police at the time because she "thought it would get better."

When things didn't, she took the three children and moved out of the singer's Chicago-area mansion.

Her restraining order barred the 38-year-old singer, whose full name is Robert Kelly, from having any contact with her. It also granted her possession of her 2003 Mercedes and her own personal effects, as well as those of her children.

But three weeks later, she decided to allow a judge to vacate the order, according to Schiller and R. Kelly's attorney, Nathan Swerdlove. Both sides are retaining private counsel to help them work through their marital woes; Schiller and Swerdlove stressed that neither spouse had filed divorce papers.

For his part, R. Kelly says he believes his marriage can fly again.

"My wife and I had a heated argument, and we are now in the process of working it out," he said in a statement Monday. "We hope that the press and public will give us the time and privacy we need to resolve this very personal situation."

Kelly, meanwhile, is still facing child-pornography charges stemming from a widely circulated videotape purportedly showing him having sex with a minor. Kelly has pleaded innocent and denied he's the man in the video. The case is expected to go to trial sometime this fall.