Dr Luke accuses Kesha of 'vicious smear campaign' after claims he sexually abused her
The music producer denies claims of abuse
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Dr Luke has accused Kesha of using a "vicious smear campaign" to make some money and ruin his reputation over claims he drugged and sexually abused the singer.
On Friday, a judge ruled Kesha could not terminate her contract with Sony and Dr Luke, who she claims psychologically tormented her and raped her a decade ago after allegedly drugging her with a pill which knocked her out.
A series of high-profile figures - including Lady Gaga, Grimes, Lily Allen and Ariana Grande - have publicly voiced their support for the singer following the judgment as part of a #FreeKesha social media movement.
On Monday, Dr Luke, who has always denied the charges, issued a new statement through his attorney, which was released to Rolling Stone magazine and is available in full here.
“The New York Country 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 sound decision Friday by the court in denying Kesha’s motion for an injunction made it clear Kesha’s allegations of purported abuse were unconvincing and that she had no basis to void record contracts and copyrights….
“More significantly, the Court also noted multiple times that her vague abuse allegations were devoid of factual detail, and that there was no evidence, whether from doctors or anyone else, to support them.”
The statement also includes repeated denials by Dr Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, against the abuse allegations.
“As Dr. Luke has said repeatedly, the allegations against him are outright lies that have been advanced to extort a contract renegotiation and money.
“Kesha and her counsel have cavalierly subjected Dr Luke and his family to trial by Twitter, using a vicious smear campaign to ruin his reputation for financial gain while failing to support their claims. Kesha to date has never verified the allegations in this case - even when given the opportunity in her affidavit.”
Kesha's lawyers claim the alleged abuse was responsible for the singer developing an eating disorder and feeling suicidal which led to her spending two months in rehab in 2014.
Following the verdict, which saw the "Tik Tok" singer break down in tears in court, a number of high-profile entertainers including Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato and Lorde have supported the singer, with swift giving her $250,000 to help out with her legal fees..