Summary: Kesha has filed to dismiss her lawsuit against her alleged abuser, producer Dr. Luke.
After a drawn out legal battle, pop star Kesha has filed to dismiss her sexual abuse lawsuit against producer Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald). The Verge stated that the move was to get her music career back on track. Because of the battle, she had not been allowed to release new music and her public performances had been mostly restricted.
In addition to dropping the suit, Kesha turned in 28 new tracks to fulfill her contractual obligations. Her attorney Daniel Petrocelli told Buzzfeed News that they told Sony Music and Kemosabe Records that Kesha wants to release a new single and an album “as soon as possible.”
Petrocelli from O’Melveny & Meyers was brought on in April to replace attorney Mark Geragos from Geragos & Geragos.
Kesha’s legal team said that if Dr. Luke or Sony did not release the new music, that could be proof they are deliberately sabotaging Kesha’s career. If they were to do that, this could give Kesha cause to break the contract.
Dr. Luke discovered Kesha when she was 18, and he convinced her not to go to college and instead move to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. In 2005, she signed a deal with him, but she alleged that in their decade-long partnership he “sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused” her.
In 2014, Kesha sued Dr. Luke, claiming abuse and seeking to break her contract. As part of her deal, she was to provide Dr. Luke’s label, Kemosabe Records, with five albums but so far she has only produced two. Since the lawsuit was filed, her career was seemingly put on hold. Her original lawyer Geragos stated last September that because she was not allowed to release new music during the legal battle that her career was “effectively over.”
“[Kesha] cannot work with music producers, publishers, or record labels to release new music,” Geragos wrote in a memo. “With no new music to perform, Kesha cannot tour. Off the radio and stage and out of the spotlight, Kesha cannot sell merchandise, receive sponsorships, or get media attention. Her brand value has fallen, and unless the Court issues this injunction, Kesha will suffer irreparable harm, plummeting her career past the point of no return.”
The legal battle between Kesha and Dr. Luke dragged out for years, and in April of 2016, New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich ruled in favor of Dr. Luke, citing the contract was industry standard.
In a rare public performance since the lawsuit began, Kesha appeared at the Billboard Music Awards in May of 2016. She sang a stripped down cover of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me, Babe,” and her powerful singing showed audiences that she was an artist who was more than the fun party girl image that had sold her previous records. That performance seemed to show that this entire ordeal transformed Kesha, and it has also riled her fan base, who have been extremely vocal in their support to “Free Kesha.”
Now that Kesha has waved the white flag and turned in new music, it is unclear what Sony and Dr. Luke’s next move will be. They may release a new album, her first in four years, or they could withhold it, stating it was unsatisfactory.
What do you think will happen with Kesha’s career? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: The Verge