A protracted legal dispute between the singer Kesha and Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald has finally been resolved. The disagreement began in October 2014 when Kesha accused the producer of sexually assaulting her in 2005. A joint statement issued by the two parties announces the resolution of the matter.
Kesha initiated legal proceedings against Dr. Luke in a California state court in October 2014, accusing him of sexually assaulting, battering, and harassing her in 2005. She also requested the court to nullify her contract with Dr. Luke’s label, Kemosabe Records. In response to this, Dr. Luke filed a defamation lawsuit against Kesha in New York, which stood until their recent settlement.
Dr. Luke and his legal team argued in their original complaint that Kesha and her mother, Pebe Sebert, had embarked on a campaign of circulating false and shocking accusations against him as an attempt to release Kesha from her recording agreement.
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In 2016, Kesha withdrew her lawsuit in California to concentrate on the legal battle in New York. A year later, she introduced Rainbow, her first album since the beginning of the legal disputes. Despite Kesha’s efforts to terminate her contract, the album was launched through RCA Records and Kemosabe Records. However, Dr. Luke did not collaborate on the entire album with Kesha.
The defamation lawsuit experienced several developments during its almost nine-year duration. Notably, for a significant part of the case, Dr. Luke was not classified as a public figure, implying a lower threshold to demonstrate Kesha’s defamation. Recently, however, New York’s highest state court decreed that Dr. Luke was indeed a public figure for the case.
A mutual agreement to settle the lawsuit has been reached between Kesha and Dr. Luke. Both parties have provided statements regarding this resolution:
SETTLEMENT STATEMENTS:
“Only God knows what happened that night. As I have consistently maintained, I cannot recount every detail. I am eager to put this chapter behind me and commence a fresh one. I extend my wishes for peace to all those involved.”
- Kesha
“While I acknowledge Kesha’s repeated assertion that she cannot recount the events of that night in 2005, I am certain that nothing untoward happened. I have never drugged or assaulted her or anyone else. I have strenuously sought to vindicate my name for the past decade for my family’s sake. Now, it is time for me to leave this challenging matter in the past and move forward. I extend my best wishes to Kesha.”
- Dr. Luke
The first version of this article was published on Thursday, June 22, at 2:46 p.m. Eastern. The latest update was made on June 22 at 3:22 p.m. Eastern.
