New developments in the Kesha vs. Dr. Luke debacle are inundating the media. Today, the most recent development is an Instagram post made by Kesha in which the artist purports that Dr. Luke’s legal team approached her with a proposal so heinous that she would rather lose her career than agree.
For those of you that have been living under a rock for the past couple of years, the artist Kesha, formerly known as Ke$ha, famous for such hits as “Tik Tok” and “Your Love is My Drug” is suing her producer, Dr. Luke. The legal battle began in 2014, when Kesha first sued Dr. Luke in an attempt to void their mutual contract on the grounds of emotional, physical, sexual and mental abuse, which, Kesha alleged, nearly cost the artist her life. Most poignant are her rape allegations, as Kesha accuses Dr. Luke of drugging her with date-rape drugs, and recalled a time when she woke up naked, sore and disoriented in the producer’s bed, shortly after which even Kesha was admitted to rehab. Dr. Luke then filed a lawsuit against Kesha for defamation. In the meantime, Kesha has refused to work with Dr. Luke. Her existing contract with the producer states that she cannot produce music with any other producer, and, therefore Kesha’s career has been almost at a standstill for nearly two years.
No decision was made on any charges until February of this year, when Kesha requested an injunction. Basically, Kesha requested to be released temporarily from her contract in order to continue her career, until the courts had come to a resolution. This request was denied, as Sony, the company under which Dr. Luke’s producing company works, has said that Kesha is allowed to produce music without working with Dr. Luke. Kesha, however, insists that this would damage her career as Dr. Luke is a more important asset to Sony than Kesha.
This case calls attention to the serious issues in the legal system today regarding rape cases. Regardless of whether Kesha is telling the truth, which the two-year long and continuing lawsuit strongly suggests, an alleged rape victim should have the right to be distanced from the alleged rapist. Once the legal battles has ended, and a decision reached, the distance imposed may be reviewed, but surely until that point is reached, is it not unreasonable to give Kesha some faith and remove her from the vicinity of the person that she alleges has caused her great harm?
Back to today’s development. Kesha’s Instagram post alleges that she has been offered release from her contract if she rescinds her rape accusations.
“I would have to APOLOGIZE publicly and say that I never got raped. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS behind closed doors. I will not take back the TRUTH. I would rather let the truth ruin my career than lie for a monster ever again.”
In response to Kesha’s Instagram post, a spokesperson for Dr. Luke made this statement to Rolling Stone:
“The Court repeatedly stated Kesha is already free to record without Dr. Luke, and that she had not presented any facts supporting her claims. That’s because all the evidence – including Kesha’s own videotaped sworn testimony – show her allegations are false. The only thing Kesha is not free to do is to continue to lie about Dr. Luke through publicity stunts and outrageous smears, ignoring the fact that by her own free will she went to work and entered into new contracts with Dr. Luke years after this ‘incident’ supposedly happened. Her goal all along has been solely personal enrichment by seeking to break contracts that brought her success and millions so she can enter into more lucrative ones. We look forward to our day in court holding Kesha accountable for her lies.”
Earlier this year, Kesha made a statement about her true agenda in pursuing the lawsuit in which the singer emphatically denied wanting a better contract, more money, or a rise in status, saying
“This case has never been about a renegotiation of my record contract — it was never about getting a bigger, or a better, deal. This is about being free from my abuser. I would be willing to work with Sony if they do the right thing and break all ties that bind me to my abuser.”
https://youtu.be/iP6XpLQM2Cs