Kesha has filed an appeal on the recent ruling from a New York state judge that denied her request for a preliminary injunction to be released from her contract with Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Records, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The 29-year-old singer has been in a legal battle with Luke since late 2014, when she sued her longtime producer for sexual assault and battery.
The court papers filed by Kesha's attorney, Mark Geragos, likened her situation to slavery. "Plaintiff seeks reversal of the Order on the following grounds. First, the Court erred in basing its decision on its finding that Kesha could record without interference from Gottwald," the court papers read. "Although it recognized that 'slavery was done away with a long time ago' and that '[y]ou can't force someone to work . . . in a situation in which they don't want to work,' the Court's ruling requiring Kesha to work for Gottwald's companies, purportedly without his involvement, does just that."
"The Court did not explain, nor could it, why any potential harm to SME [Sony Music Entertainment] could not adequately be compensated by money damages if it were to prevail in the litigation," Geragos wrote in his pre-argument statement. "Indeed, SME, Gottwald, and all the related entities are each free to make music (and money) with other young talent. In the event they prevail in the litigation, they can recover money damages from Kesha for her breach of contract."
There were recent reports that Sony would be dropping Dr. Luke amid public scrutiny over the case, but that remains to be seen. We will continue to update with more details when they become available.
