Sony Distances Itself from Dr. Luke amidst Kesha Legal Battle

Summary: Dr. Luke and Sony Music are negotiating a split.

Sony Music is finally severing its ties with alleged sexual abuser Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald.) The hit-making music producer was accused in 2014 by his protege Kesha of raping and emotionally abusing her for years, and the two have been caught in a messy legal battle that appears to be neverending.

Dr. Luke, who produced such hit songs as Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” and Kesha’s “Tik Tok,” owns a record label called Kemosabe Records that is a subsidiary of Sony Music. The Hollywood Reporter stated that Sony is distancing itself from Dr. Luke, and that the producer is no longer the head of Kemosabe, which he formed in 2011.

Dr. Luke got his start in the industry in 1997 as a guitarist for Saturday Night Live, and in 2004, he broke out as a producer with Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.” A year later, he found then-teenager Kesha Rose Sebert and convinced her to drop out of school and move to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. He signed her to his record label, and he quickly worked on developing her career.

Kesha became a bonafide popstar with hits such as “We R Who We R” and “Timber.” While her career appeared to be doing well, she shocked her fans and the industry when she filed a lawsuit against her mentor in 2014. In her complaint, she said that Dr. Luke gave her a date-rape drug and took advantage of her in a hotel room. She said that he was also controlling and would often criticize her looks.

Dr. Luke denied the allegations and said that Kesha’s lawsuit was an attempt to break her contract. He countered with a defamation claim, and the two have been embroiled in a bitter legal battle ever since.

In August 2016, Kesha dropped her lawsuit, and she submitted to Dr. Luke new music as required in her contract. While that should’ve been the end to their fight, Kesha tried to amend her lawsuit in 2017, claiming that Dr. Luke was using his power to spitefully block her career post-lawsuit. Unfortunately for Kesha, the judge denied her request.

While Kesha may be losing her legal battle, at least Sony Music is doing something to reprimand Dr. Luke, who weirdly would rather fight to keep Kesha under contract instead of working with her to be released. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony and Dr. Luke are negotiating a split, and he is no longer the CEO of Kemosabe and has no authority to act on the label’s behalf. THR also said that Sony Music has removed a profile page devoted to Dr. Luke from their website.