Kelly’s team has fought for his release on various occasions, and have even pulled the COVID card a few times before. According to a report by Rolling Stone, U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly ruled that R. Kelly now has until Feb. 17th to formally appeal his September conviction of at least 10 years in prison.

R. Kelly was convicted on charges alleging he had sex with underage girls, and bribed a state employee to create a fake ID so he could marry the late singer Aaliyah, who was just 15-years-old at time. He allegedly believed Aaliyah was pregnant was his child, and thought the marriage would save him from going to jail.

In a previous filing, R. Kelly’s lawyer Jennifer Bonjean told Judge Donnelly that he would be unable to speak with his legal team via telephone to review his paperwork due to his COVID diagnosis. Bonjean also stated that Kelly needed time to recover in order to have an effective role in his appeal process.

It is vitally important that Mr. Kelly meaningfully participate in his post-trial defense,” Bonjean wrote. “The [jail] has not indicated when visits will resume which is less than idea, but undersigned counsel is confident that she can accomplish necessary discussions with Mr. Kelly via upcoming scheduled Zoom visits.”

The singer still faces criminal charges in Chicago’s federal court, and is set to be sentenced on May 4th