Nelly is reportedly planning on suing the woman who accused him of rape for tarnishing his reputation, after the case was thrown out of court earlier this week.
The 42-year-old rapper — whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr — recently had his court case closed by authorities after his 21-year-old accuser, who had alleged the star had sexually assaulted her on his tour bus, refused to testify against him, meaning no charges could be brought against him.
And now, the “Hot in Here” hitmaker, who was arrested for the alleged offense in October, is said to be seeking legal action against the woman, as he feels his reputation has been tarnished by the claims made against him.
His lawyer Scott Rosenblum said in a statement to People, “The formal close of the investigation into the false allegations made against Nelly is of course welcome – however expected. We were confident that what our investigation revealed from the outset of this allegation would ultimately be clear and Nelly would be vindicated.
“A thorough investigation did show Nelly was a victim of deceitful allegation devoid of credibility. Credible evidence did show this accuser to be deceptive. We have been in constant communication with the King County authorities and welcomed and appreciated the diligence in which the authorities proceeded leaving no stone unturned.
“Nelly has suffered very real damage to his reputation. He has incurred economic loss and painfully has watched his family suffer. As a result Nelly is planning to proceed with litigation as the first step in restoring his reputation.”
The statement also claims the rapper fully supports victims of sexual assault, but insists that his accuser’s “false allegation” is an “affront to the real survivors of sexual assault.”
It continues, “Nelly recognises the need for women who are victims of sexual assault of any kind to be heard and our existing systems changed. Nelly supports various women’s advocacy groups that deal with sexual assault and violence against women and is dedicated to raising awareness and furthering the conversation to bring about necessary changes. However, this type of reckless false allegation cannot be tolerated as it is an affront to the real survivors of sexual assault.”
The “Dilemma” rapper’s case was thrown out of court earlier this week after the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office claimed the woman’s refusal to cooperate with the case “made it impossible” for them to charge the star with any crime.
