Usher has remained silent about his ongoing herpes scandal, but the R&B star is now responding privately to at least one of his accusers.
Insiders say that Usher has denied allegations made by Quantasia Sharpton, a woman who claims she had a sexual encounter with the pop star, according to TMZ. She is one of four people currently suing him for exposure to herpes.
Sharpton came forward on Monday (Aug. 7), saying that Usher plucked her out of an audience on her 19th birthday and that they later engaged in a sexual act. But Usher says Sharpton is simply not his type and that he never had sex with her, according to his inner circle.
Usher does not deny bringing Sharpton up onstage, though he also does not remember if he ever did. According to sources, the R&B star regularly brings “a diverse group of people up onstage, not just supermodels” as an “esteem booster.”
Prior to suing Usher, Sharpton wrote that she is in “need” of “some money” on social media, casting doubt on her motives. However, her attorney Lisa Bloom says that the two issues are not connected. “It’s not a crime to be poor in America,” she told TMZ in a separate story. “It’s not a crime to be honest about the fact you need money. Most people need money.”
Bloom says that Sharpton has not sued Usher for a particular amount of money and is instead allowing a jury to decide what the monetary compensation should be. She says she is proud of Sharpton for coming forward and that the civilian has been body-shamed during this process.
Sharpton is one of three Usher accusers represented by Bloom, but she is the only one who is not doing so anonymously. The other two people are only known as Jane and John Doe. All three claim to have had sexual contact with Usher without him informing them of his alleged herpes infection.
Another Jane Doe is also suing Usher for $20 million, a figure that was originally reported to be $40 million. She claims that Usher gave her herpes and that he never informed her of his alleged infection either.
All four of the new accusers came forward after it was revealed that Usher paid $1.1 million to settle a herpes-related lawsuit with an ex in 2012.
The new scandal is impacting Usher in various ways. According to TMZ, his insurance company, New York Marine and General, does not want to pay for the multi-million dollar lawsuits that are being filed against him because their policy doesn’t cover sexually-transmitted diseases.
NYM&G Insurance Company filed documents claiming that they should not pay for this flurry of lawsuits and that Usher did not disclose his reported 2012 settlement with the company when he signed on for its policy in 2016. If the court agrees with their filing, the company will no longer pay for his defense in the current lawsuits and they will reportedly ask for a refund for any money that they have paid for his defense.
In the midst of the controversy, Usher has returned to the studio. In a new video posted by Jermaine Dupri, the Confessions star can be heard singing along to Kendrick Lamar’s “HUMBLE.” while leaving the rapper’s L.A. concert. “My left stroke just went viral,” he raps. Dupri captioned the clip: “To the studio we go.”