Usher accused of sexual battery and fraud in lawsuit over herpes claims

The R&B singer is accused of concealing an alleged herpes infection from people he had sexual contact with

The R&B star Usher is being sued by three people who accuse him of not informing them about an alleged herpes infection, before they had sexual contact.

The suit, filed in Los Angeles, contains charges of sexual battery, fraud, negligence, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Two of the accusers, one of whom has tested positive for herpes, remain anonymous, but the other, Quantasia Sharpton, went public with her accusation at a news conference in New York.

“When I first heard he had herpes I couldn’t believe it … I would have never consented if I had known,” she said. Sharpton said the pair “engaged in sexual contact” after an Usher concert where she was celebrating her 19th birthday. She has since tested negative for herpes.

Her accusation follows court documents from 2012, leaked last month, that attest Usher – whose full name is Usher Raymond IV – was diagnosed with the virus in 2009 or 2010, and that he paid $1.1m in a settlement to a woman he infected. TMZ reported that another lawsuit has since been made against him following the revelations. The singer, who has had four No 1 albums in the US, has not publicly commented on the accusations.

Sharpton’s attorney Lisa Bloom said: “We hope the reports are not true. We hope that Mr Raymond [tests] negative [for herpes], and that this can all be cleared up quickly. We hope that he has not knowingly endangered his sex partners, fans who revered him and who were thrilled to receive his personal attention.”

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