Usher’s Infamous STD Scandal, Explained

Usher may be the king of serenading men’s wives and girlfriends thanks to his Las Vegas residency performances, but in 2017, his name was in the tabloids for unrelated reasons. The “U Got It Bad” singer was sued by multiple alleged sex partners, men, and women, for allegedly exposing them to herpes without being forthcoming with his STD status. It all began when a woman named Quantasia Sharpton came forward and claimed the “OMG” performer exposed her to the disease after their 2014 encounter in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 

That was followed by a Jane Doe and John Doe coming forward with similar accusations, all say Usher risked their health by not telling him about his alleged diagnosis. They sued for unspecified damaged. The John Doe claimed he had intercourse with Usher at a Koreatown spa in Los Angeles. While in ongoing legal proceedings, the mal accuser claimed Usher refused to turn over private medical records in the case. 

He even filed a motion to have Usher be demanded to turn over his confidential medical records and any possible settlements with other people to prove he was aware of his status before having unprotected sex with others, but John Doe said Usher refused by trying to invoke attorney-client privilege and physician-patient privilege. 

Usher fought back. He refused to answer a question during a deposition about whether he settled claims by former lovers over Herpes, something that later was proven to be true when previous settlements were released. The male accuser said his refusal was nonsense since it has been, “widely reported that Defendant has settled similar claims throughout the years.” Usher claimed the man was trying to harass him with demands. During the case, Usher begged a judge to seal his private medical records as part of the lawsuit filed by two women and a man in the cases.

In 2019, a separate legal battle between Usher and his health insurance was settled, and the insurance company dismissed the lawsuit. The suit took issue with Usher over a 2012 settlement he paid out to a woman for allegedly infecting her with herpes, claiming Usher never informed them of that settlement when he signed with them in 2016, Yahoo News reports. He privately settled with the other accusers.