CHICAGO — A judge who ordered a default judgment against R. Kelly after the singer failed to respond to a lawsuit filed by one of his alleged victims now says the suit can proceed.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Cook County Judge Moira Johnson on Wednesday reinstated the lawsuit after Mr. Kelly’s lawyers said the singer never responded to it because he’s illiterate and couldn’t read the documents when he was served with them.

The lawsuit was filed by Heather Williams in February, the same month that he was arrested on charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four women, three of them underage at the time.

Ms. Williams is one of the four women Mr. Kelly, whose full name is Robert Kelly, is charged with abusing. In criminal court documents, she is referred to by her initials, but she used her full name in her lawsuit. Mr. Kelly has denied all accusations of abuse.