Usher's herpes accuser in Georgia , Laura Helm ,
insisted she ONLY had protected sex with him
- - even though she claimed otherwise in her
$ 20 million lawsuit ... but she had a good
reason for lying , according to her attorney.
TMZ obtained a recording of Helm on the phone telling a
male friend she had no plans to sue Usher after finding out
he allegedly has herpes . She said Usher had always worn a
condom when they had sex ... so she wasn' t concerned
about being exposed to the virus . As she put it ... "That 's
why they make protection , for people who have STDs ."
The conversation went down July 19 . .. just 2 days before
Helm filed the lawsuit and changed her story . In the docs
she said Usher did NOT use a condom when they had sex
in New Orleans . The two different stories seem to create a
huge credibility problem for Helm .
Her attorney , Lisa West, says Helm only lied because she
thought her publicist , Dennis Byron - - the guy on the phone
- - was trying to shop a story to the media about Usher
having an affair .
West says Helm "didn ' t want to be exploited and , in her
attempt to deter Byron from doing so , she told him
( inaccurately) that she never had protected sex with Usher
and that she did not have herpes . " West adds she 's gone to
law enforcement because Helm thinks Byron was extorting
her .
Worth noting - - Helm also accused Byron of stalking her ,
but on Friday a judge dismissed the matter for lack of
evidence.
Usher's herpes accuser in Georgia , Laura Helm ,
insisted she ONLY had protected sex with him
- - even though she claimed otherwise in her
$ 20 million lawsuit ... but she had a good
reason for lying , according to her attorney.
TMZ obtained a recording of Helm on the phone telling a
male friend she had no plans to sue Usher after finding out
he allegedly has herpes . She said Usher had always worn a
condom when they had sex ... so she wasn' t concerned
about being exposed to the virus . As she put it ... "That 's
why they make protection , for people who have STDs ."
The conversation went down July 19 . .. just 2 days before
Helm filed the lawsuit and changed her story . In the docs
she said Usher did NOT use a condom when they had sex
in New Orleans . The two different stories seem to create a
huge credibility problem for Helm .
Her attorney , Lisa West, says Helm only lied because she
thought her publicist , Dennis Byron - - the guy on the phone
- - was trying to shop a story to the media about Usher
having an affair .
West says Helm "didn ' t want to be exploited and , in her
attempt to deter Byron from doing so , she told him
( inaccurately) that she never had protected sex with Usher
and that she did not have herpes . " West adds she 's gone to
law enforcement because Helm thinks Byron was extorting
her .
Worth noting - - Helm also accused Byron of stalking her ,
but on Friday a judge dismissed the matter for lack of
evidence.
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