One of the five people who has accused Usher of exposing them to herpes has come forward in a public declaration against the R&B superstar.
Accompanied by celebrity attorney Lisa Bloom, Quantasia Sharpton held a press conference at New York’s Hilton Midtown on Monday (Aug. 7), alleging that she had a sexual encounter with Usher two years ago, when she was 19 years old.
Sharpton claims she was invited backstage at an Usher concert after she was spotted wearing a birthday crown. She alleges that she provided security with her phone number, and came in contact with the chart-topping singer shortly thereafter.
“We spoke for a while and then we engaged in sexual contact,” she said. “He never warned me about any STDs, it was just after my 19th birthday.”
Sharpton says she would not have consented to the sexual encounter if she had known that he was carrying herpes.
Despite the alleged exposure to herpes, Sharpton claims that she does not have the STD herself. She says she gave birth last year and tested negative for the virus.
“Usher, if you are negative, please say so,” she said. “If you are positive, you need to warn your sex partners.”
Aside from Sharpton, Bloom has two other clients — one man and one woman — who are suing Usher. Both are remaining anonymous through the process, known only as John and Jane Doe in the lawsuit, which was filed in California, where the law requires a person to disclose whether they have herpes to a sexual partner.
This follows a report that claims Usher paid $1.1 million to settle a 2012 lawsuit, in which an ex sued the “No Limit” singer for not revealing that he was carrying the STD.
Shortly after the report became public, another woman sued Usher for $20 million, claiming that he did not disclose that he was carrying herpes before engaging in at least two sexual encounters with her.
During her press conference today, Bloom said that she has been contacted by others and that she may file additional lawsuits against Usher, according to TMZ.
So far, Usher has not addressed these issues publicly but sources say that his wife is sticking by his side through the accusations of infidelity.
