Usher Lawsuit: Herpes Claims, Sharpton and Helm, 2012 Settlement

Between 2012 and 2019, Usher Raymond IV faced a series of civil lawsuits accusing him of exposing sexual partners to genital herpes without disclosing his alleged diagnosis. The Usher herpes lawsuit story began with a confidential $1.1 million settlement in 2012, expanded into public litigation brought by at least four plaintiffs in California and Georgia after the settlement leaked in 2017, and ended with each known case resolved through settlement, voluntary dismissal, or a dismissal with prejudice. Usher denied having herpes throughout.

The 2012 Settlement That Started It All

The first known claim came from an unnamed woman described in court papers as a “celebrity stylist.” She alleged that Usher had been diagnosed with herpes around 2009 or 2010 and “consciously and purposefully” withheld that diagnosis while having unprotected sex with her during a relationship that ran from roughly 2011 to 2012. She reported vaginal sores, fevers, and chills.¹

On December 28, 2012, Usher settled for $1.1 million. The court file also contained a photocopy of a $2,754.40 check reportedly issued to cover her medical bills.² The settlement stayed confidential until July 2017, when Radar Online published leaked documents. Snopes later reported that the published excerpts lacked a case number, jurisdiction, or the names of attorneys and judge, and the outlet could not independently verify the filing through court records.³ The stylist has never been publicly identified.

The August 2017 Lawsuits Filed by Lisa Bloom

The leak triggered a wave of new claims. On August 7, 2017, attorney Lisa Bloom filed a California lawsuit on behalf of three plaintiffs: Quantasia Sharpton, who identified herself publicly, and two anonymous individuals listed as Jane Doe and John Doe.⁴ The suit alleged each plaintiff had sexual contact with Usher after 2012 without being told of any diagnosis.

Quantasia Sharpton

Sharpton, 19 at the time of the alleged encounter, said she had sex with Usher at a hotel after being invited backstage at one of his concerts. She tested negative for herpes but said her rights had been violated because she would not have consented had she known his alleged status.⁵ At a press conference in New York, she said, “I feel that my rights were violated. I’m speaking out today on behalf of myself and others… I am doing this so he does not do this to anyone else.”¹

Her case did not last long. In early September 2017, Bloom filed papers to dismiss it. Whether any settlement changed hands has not been made public.⁶

The Anonymous Plaintiffs

The two anonymous plaintiffs alleged different types of contact. The female plaintiffs alleged vaginal sex; the male plaintiff alleged oral sex at a Los Angeles spa. Bloom told reporters that one of the three plaintiffs had tested positive for the virus, and the other two had tested negative.⁷

In June 2018, the male plaintiff moved to compel Usher to turn over his medical records and information about prior herpes-related settlements. He later withdrew the motion so he could continue with “further discovery,” while reserving the right to refile it.⁸ The case was still listed as ongoing in late 2018, and no public reporting has established a final resolution.

For the anonymous Jane Doe, Judge Michelle Williams Court ruled in June 2018 that her claims would proceed in Los Angeles Superior Court. The defense had argued the alleged events happened outside California, but the judge found that because Usher kept a residence in the state, the court had jurisdiction.⁹ No publicly available reporting has confirmed the final outcome of her case.

Laura Helm’s Georgia Lawsuit

Separately, Laura Helm sued Usher in Fulton County Superior Court in Georgia. She alleged he exposed her to genital herpes during sexual encounters in 2017 without telling her he had been diagnosed in 2009 or 2010. Her complaint brought counts of negligence, fraud, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.¹⁰

Helm first sued for $10 million in summer 2017, filing as “Jane Doe.” That complaint was dismissed without prejudice. She changed attorneys, refiled, and after her own HSV-2 diagnosis increased her demand to $20 million.¹⁰

In May 2019, the case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning Helm cannot refile it. Court documents described the resolution as “amicable.” Neither side disclosed any financial terms.¹¹

What Usher’s Side Said

Usher’s defense team, led by attorney Steve Sadow, argued in the Helm case that the singer owed her no “duty of care” and that she understood the risks of unprotected sex, an assumption-of-risk defense. Sadow also argued Helm could have been asymptomatic before testing positive and could have contracted the virus from another partner entirely.¹⁰

Usher’s interim manager, Grace Akinlemibola, said the singer “denied having herpes” and “has stated this fact on numerous occasions.” She also said “many of the lawsuits against Usher were filed by people who don’t even have the disease.”¹⁰ Usher himself had not publicly commented when the Bloom lawsuits were filed in August 2017.¹² The BBC reported, citing Hollywood Life, that he privately said he felt “embarrassed and horrible” about the situation.²

The Legal Theory Behind the Claims

All of the plaintiffs relied on the same core principle: a person who knows or should know they carry a sexually transmitted disease has a duty to disclose that fact to sexual partners, and failure to disclose can support civil claims for negligence, battery, or fraud regardless of whether transmission actually occurs. In Georgia, where the Helm case was filed, state law also makes intentional or reckless transmission of an STD through sexual contact a potential crime, and civil claims can proceed under negligence, sexual battery, and fraud theories.¹³

Damages in these cases can climb high. A California court in 2011 upheld a $6.75 million jury verdict against millionaire Thomas Redmond for exposing a former girlfriend to herpes, and a Los Angeles court awarded $2.49 million in 2010 to a woman who contracted herpes from her unfaithful husband.¹³ Bloom framed the Usher cases the same way at her August 2017 press conference, arguing that California law requires disclosure of a herpes diagnosis and that failure to disclose can transform an otherwise consensual encounter into a nonconsensual one.¹⁴

1
People. Usher Sued by Quantasia Sharpton Over Herpes Diagnosis
2
BBC News. Usher Herpes Settlement Reports
3
Snopes. Usher STD Rumor
4
CBS News. Three Accusers Sue Usher Saying He Exposed Them to Herpes
5
ABC7. Usher Failed to Warn 2 Women, 1 Man About Herpes, Lawsuit Claims
6
E! Online. Usher Responds to Lawsuit Claiming He Exposed 3 People to Herpes
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CBS News Los Angeles. Usher Herpes Lawsuit
8
St. Louis American. Usher’s Male Accuser Rescinds Medical Records Request
9
Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Herpes Claims Against Usher to Be Tried in Los Angeles, Judge Says
10
Forbes. Usher Seeks Dismissal of Herpes Suit, Says Accuser Knew of Unprotected Sex Risks
11
TMZ. Usher Herpes Lawsuit Laura Helm Dismissed Settlement
12
The Guardian. Usher Lawsuit Herpes Claims
13
ABC News. Hollywood Herpes Lawsuit Alleges A-List Celebrity Gave STD
14
Billboard. Lisa Bloom Interview on Usher Herpes Lawsuit