NEW YORK – Kesha and producer Dr. Luke announced Thursday that they have settled nearly a decade of suits and countersuits over her allegation that he drugged and raped her and his claim that she made it up and defamed him, with the singer adding that “only God knows what happened that night.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Luke stated he was “certain that nothing happened.” I never abused her or drugged her.”
The terms of the agreement were not immediately released, but both she and he revealed on Instagram that they had agreed to “a resolution” of the issue and to each of them issuing a statement. Messages were made to their solicitors seeking comment.
“I cannot recount everything that happened,” Kesha said, adding that she wishes “nothing but peace to all parties involved.”
Dr. Luke, on his part, wished her well and expressed his desire “to put this difficult matter behind me” after years of working to clear his name.
The agreement averts a trial slated this summer over charges that created a #MeToo movement for Kesha’s supporters and involved several music industry celebrities. Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Pink, Avril Lavigne, Adam Levine, and Taio Cruz were among the individuals who testified or provided sworn statements concerning the lawsuit.
At the same time, the case posed significant legal issues concerning fame and defamation. The stakes were high enough that media outlets expressed concern over pretrial judgments that they feared could aid powerful people in suppressing unfavorable reporting.
The legal dispute between the multiplatinum-selling singer and the Grammy-nominated producer has been ongoing since 2014, threatening their careers.
Kesha and producer Dr. Luke announced Thursday that they have settled nearly a decade of suits and countersuits over her allegation.
Beginning with 2009’s “TiK ToK,” the singer — once known as Ke$ha — built her reputation with swaggering, just-try-to-stop-me party anthems. Dr. Luke, who formed the record label that signed a Nashville unknown named Kesha Rose Sebert at 18, produced those early singles.
He was born Lukasz Gottwald and has produced hit songs for Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne, Flo Rida, and others. Dr. Luke has received many Grammy nominations and pop Songwriter of the Year accolades from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.
Kesha filed a lawsuit against him in 2014, alleging that he drugged and raped her nine years prior and psychologically abused her throughout their working relationship. He chastised her about her weight, demeaned her voice, and wielded undue authority over her career.
“The abuse I suffered from Luke was a decade long, every day, every moment of every day,” she testified under oath in 2017. According to Kesha, the event triggered an eating problem flare-up, which resulted in her spending two months in a rehabilitation clinic in 2014.
Dr. Luke, who has been cleared of all charges, replied by suing Kesha. He claims she concocted “untrue and deeply hurtful” statements to smear him and get out of her record contract.
“Any reasonable person will not believe her,” he declared under oath in 2017.
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Kesha and producer Dr. Luke announced Thursday that they have settled nearly a decade of suits and countersuits over her allegation.
His attorneys have stated that Kesha herself stated in a separate case in 2011 that he “never made sexual advances at me” during sworn questioning. She has now stated that her 2011 statements were “not entirely transparent” because she feared Dr. Luke and felt compelled to defend him.
During the stalemate, Kesha went five years without making an album, claiming she couldn’t work with a “monster” but couldn’t get away from him because she was under contract with his label. His and the label’s lawyers both contended that she was not required to work with him.
She eventually returned in 2017 with “Rainbow” and two additional albums, all produced by different people. “Gag Order,” her most recent album, was released in May.
Dr. Luke’s career suffered as a result of her charges becoming public. He has stated that numerous artists, particularly female artists, have avoided “working with someone who’s called a rapist.”
But, as Tyson Trax, he returned to the top of the charts in 2020 with Doja Cat’s “Say So,” earning his first Grammy nomination since 2014. He was named ASCAP’s pop songwriter of the Year again this year.
Kesha and producer Dr. Luke announced Thursday that they had settled nearly a decade of suits and countersuits over her allegation.
Kesha’s sexual abuse-related claims were dropped along the way due to time constraints and other legal concerns, with no findings on the merits of the allegations. However, she countersued Dr. Luke under a New York law prohibiting the filing of frivolous lawsuits to frighten critics into silence; New York’s highest court just determined that she could pursue those allegations.
The top court, the Court of Appeals in New York, also ruled that Dr. Luke is a “public figure” under the law. This is significant because the legal requirements for proving defamation are more stringent for prominent personalities than ordinary citizens.
Earlier courts ruled that the producer was not a public figure. Over a dozen media sources and organizations intervened in the case, arguing that previous judgments could assist renowned persons in suppressing free speech and reporting on sexual abuse charges.
Kesha was previously forced to pay Dr. Luke more than $373,000 in interest on royalties she owed him for years.
SOURCE – (AP)
