R. KELLY PLACED ON SUICIDE WATCH, SAYS HIS LAWYER

(CNN) R. Kelly has been placed on suicide watch at the federal detention facility in New York where he is being held after he was sentenced this week to 30 years in prison on racketeering and sex trafficking charges, his lawyer said Friday.

But the disgraced R&B singer is not suicidal, attorney Jennifer Bonjean told CNN she believes, adding Kelly had been fearful of being put on suicide watch.

“The irony of putting someone on suicide watch when they’re not suicidal is it actually causes more harm,” Bonjean said.

Kelly’s attorneys later filed a lawsuit and moved for a temporary restraining order.

The complaint names the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) of Brooklyn and its leading officials as well as the United States government as defendants.

According to the lawsuit, attorneys for Kelly called the detention center following his sentencing to learn of his status and employees repeatedly hung up on them, “laughed and were highly unprofessional.” CNN has reached out to the US Bureau of Prisons and has attempted to reach the MDC Warden for comment.