Megaproducer Dr. Luke has taken to his defense on Twitter after singer Kesha accused him of emotional and sexual abuse.
Last week, a New York Supreme Court judge denied Kesha a preliminary injunction that would have allowed her to make music outside her six-album contract with Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records, a Sony subsidiary, while her lawsuit against the producer, and his countersuit, are ongoing.
Injunctions are rarely granted in contractual cases such as this one and doing so would be an “extraordinary measure,” Justice Shirley Kornreich said in her ruling.
Many prominent musicians have voiced their support for Kesha, including Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson and Demi Lovato.
‘Horrendous and untrue’
“For the past 10 years, Dr. Luke has sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused” Kesha, the singer claimed in a suit filed in Los Angeles in 2014.
In the suit, Kesha alleges that Dr. Luke — real name Lukasz Gottwald — fed her drugs that knocked her unconscious and raped her.
Gottwald has vigorously denied the allegations, calling them an extortion attempt by an artist unhappy with her career trajectory, and countersued Kesha, her mother and manager for defamation and breach of contract.
On Monday evening, Gottwald took to Twitter to dispute Kesha’s claims further, comparing the case to Rolling Stone’s now discredited 2015 story about gang rape at the University of Virginia.
“I didn’t rape Kesha and I have never had sex with her,” Gottwald tweeted.
He cited court proceedings in 2011 in which Kesha testified that the date rape never took place.
Gottwald’s countersuit against Kesha, in which he accuses her of defamation, also cites the 2011 testimony. Kesha has previously maintained that Gottwald forced her to lie under oath, under threat of violence.
“It’s sad that she would turn a contract negotiation into something so horrendous and untrue,” Gottwald tweeted.
“This should be tried in a court of law.”
Taylor Swift donates $250K to Kesha, offers support during ‘trying time’
Taylor Swift has put her money behind Kesha.
Swift donated $250,000 to the “Tik Tok” singer on Sunday, two days after a judge ruled against Kesha in a case in which she asked to record music independently of producer Dr. Luke.
“In a show of support, Taylor Swift has donated $250,000 to Kesha to help with any of her financial needs during this trying time,” a representative for Swift wrote in a statement, according to Rolling Stone.
Several notable musical names have lined up behind Kesha in the ongoing dispute, including Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson and Janelle Monae.
“There are people all over the world who love you @KeshaRose. And I can say truly I am in awe of your bravery,” Lady Gaga said in a tweet that’s been retweeted almost 90,000 times.
Also chiming in: singer Demi Lovato, who started with a tweet in support of Kesha but soon started talking about empowerment in general.
“Take something to Capitol Hill or actually speak out about something and then I’ll be impressed,” she concluded.
