Default Judgement Against R. Kelly in Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Vacated By Judge Due to Singer’s Illiteracy

R&B singer R. Kelly has had a string of allegations and lawsuits over the recent months, and now one judgement against the artist has been vacated on account of Kelly being illiterate. This was just part of a busy day in court for the performer, who was also paying back child support bill of $62,000 and going to a divorce hearing. R. Kelly’s legal troubles have been in the public eye in recent months, as the recent documentary about him has increased pressure on authorities to check into the allegations against him. As of now, the musician is facing troubles due to owed child support, an ongoing divorce and accusations from four women of sexual abuse.

The recent ruling that has been vacated was in the case of one of the women accusing R. Kelly of sexual abuse. The plaintiff stated that Kelly began a sexual relationship with her when she was only 16 years old. The original ruling in the case was in favor of the plaintiff due to default, meaning R. Kelly did not appear for his court date. When arguing in favor of a new trial, Kelly’s lawyers said that he did not show up because he did not understand the court summons against him. Stating that R. Kelly has a learning disability that makes him essentially illiterate, his lawyers were able to get the judge to agree to a new trial that is now scheduled for June.

Kelly was given his court summons for this case while serving three days in jail in March. It was said that when he received the summons, the singer did not understand what they were and ignored them. This civil lawsuit was filed just before the singer was charged with 10 counts of sexual abuse by Cook County at the end of February. The charges against Kelly include sexual assault of a minor, as most of the women accusing Kelly state that they were underage at the time. Kelly was in jail at the time of his summons because of an unpaid child support debt of $160,000. After paying his debt the singer was released, but he never responded to the court summons or gave it another thought. Now it turns out that Kelly will have another opportunity to make his case next month.