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Kesha has been engaged in a legal battle with her former producer Dr. Luke since October 2014, after she filed a lawsuit against him for “mental manipulation, emotional abuse, and sexual assault.” On February 19, a New York judge denied Kesha’s attempt for an injunction against Dr. Luke, meaning that she’ll remain in her contract with Sony and must record music for them. The ruling means she must record six more albums for a man who she says abused her and the record label which is supporting him. The judge said, “You’re asking the court to decimate a contract that was heavily negotiated and typical for the industry.”
Fans came together to show support for Kesha, including number of big figures including Lady Gaga, Lorde, and more. Taylor Swift has reportedly donated $250,000 to Kesha after the court ruling, but she has yet to speak out on the matter publicly herself, with a publicist announcing the donation. A source close to Taylor said, “When Taylor saw the heartbreaking courtroom photos of Kesha, it was then that she knew she needed to do something.”
Dr. Luke has subsequently released a new statement today commenting on the #FreeKesha movement on Twitter, as well as the allegations against him. The statement—which was written by Luke’s lawyer Chrisitne Lepara—said, “The New York County Supreme Court on Friday found that Kesha is already ‘free’ to record and release music without working with Dr. Luke as a producer if she doesn’t want to. Any claim that she isn’t ‘free’ is a myth.”
The statement added that Sony Music has invested $11 million in promoting Kesha, and that the accusations of rape and abuse are “outright lies that have been advanced to extort a contract renegotiation and money.” The statement referred to the #FreeKesha Twitter movement as a “vicious smear campaign to ruin his reputation.”
Read the full statement here, and catch up with the whole situation here.
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