R. Kelly will get a redo on an abuse case because a judge ruled he's illiterate

At least one of R. Kelly's abuse lawsuits seemed to be over — until now.

The R&B star is facing a number of criminal charges amid dozens of escalating allegations of sexual abuse spanning decades, which were notably recounted in the Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly. He's also facing a civil lawsuit from one of those alleged victims, but lost it by default after he didn't show up in court a few weeks ago, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Yet in an odd reversal on Wednesday, a judge ruled that the civil case can proceed once again. That's because "the defendant does not recall being served," as Kelly's lawyers put it in an April 26 filing. Kelly "cannot" read, his lawyers argued, and the judge ruled in his favor.

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The case involves one of the four women R. Kelly is facing criminal charges for allegedly abusing. Identified as H.W. in the suit, the woman says she met Kelly when she was 16 years old, in 1998, and he repeatedly sexually abused her starting a month later. Kelly and his attorneys have denied all the charges against him.