R Kelly’s lawyer has told a judge that he failed to respond to a lawsuit because he is illiterate.
Judge Moira Johnson issued an initial judgement in the case after the singer did not respond to a lawsuit brought by one of the four women he is charged with sexually abusing.
However, the lawsuit was reinstated after one of Kelly’s attorneys explained that the Grammy award-winning singer was in jail when he was served with the lawsuit documents, and did not respond because he cannot read.
Kelly was arrested in February on charges of sexually abusing a woman and three girls over a period of around 10 years, beginning in the late Nineties.
The charges followed the release of controversial TV documentary Surviving R Kelly, which featured interviews with a number of Kelly’s alleged victims, family members and former collaborators. It is widely believed that the documentary placed pressure on authorities to investigate long-standing allegations of sexual misconduct against Kelly over the past two decades.
After the documentary’s release, it was reported that Kelly was struggling to find bookings for live shows and as a consequence suffered a considerable loss of income, which then led to him being arrested and jailed for failing to make the required child support payments to his ex-wife Andrea “Drea” Kelly. He was released from jail after a benefactor made a payment on his behalf.
Ms Kelly is still seeking $32,383 in back child support remaining from the $161,000 that the judge ordered Kelly to pay in March, after Kelly’s $62,499 payment to cover for the months of March, April and May.
In addition, she is seeking interest for back child support payments and attorney fees, which her attorney told the judge she is entitled to as a means of enforcing past and future payments, according to ABC News.
“My client now looks forward to clearing his name and being cleared of all charges in the near future,” said R Kelly representative Darrell Johnson. “Mr Kelly also placed a check for child support in escrow with his family law attorney for June, July and August in advance. It will paid be in the next couple of days or on his next meeting on May 14th.”
Earlier this week, one his attorneys told reporters that he was lining up performances for the singer in Illinois and outside the state. He said he anticipated the judge to grant their requests for Kelly to travel to make those appearances.
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to the sexual abuse charges and denied any wrongdoing.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
