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Dr. Luke Speaks Out About Kesha Rape Allegations

By Emmy Mack

Kesha producer Dr. Luke has publicly denied allegations of rape, which have been at the centre of an ongoing legal battle between the singer, the producer and record label Sony.

Social media erupted with support for Kesha (real name: Kesha Rose Sebert) after a judge last week denied a motion to release her from her contract with Sony Music, whom she alleges pressured her to continue working with Dr. Luke despite allegations that he’d been sexually assaulting her since she was 18-year-old.

Ke$ha first filed a civil lawsuit against her former manager and producer Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald) back in 2014, claiming she was mentally, physically and sexually abused by Dr. Luke for years(see excerpt below). The prodicer has since filed a countersuit against Kesha.

In the wake of the #FreeKesha hashtag trending on Twitter with support from artists like Lady Gaga, Iggy Azalea and Best Coast, as well as Taylor Swift donating US$250K to help fund her legal battle and more than 200,000 fans joining a movement to boycott Sony products until the label releases Kesha from her contract, Dr. “Lukasz Gottwald” Luke has finally broken his silence on the whole matter, taking to social media to publicly deny the accusations against him.

“Until now I haven’t commented on the lawsuits, which should be resolved in court not here on Twitter,” he wrote in a long series of tweets this morning. “It’s a shame that there’s so much speculation out there basing itself on so little information.”

“The only truly objective person who knows the facts is the judge. The judge did not rule in Kesha’s favor on Friday,” he continued.

“I understand why people without all the information are speaking out. I can appreciate their compassion… But lives can get ruined when there’s a rush to judgment before all the facts come out.

“Of course any sane person is against rape and sexual assault but everybody who is commenting is doing so without knowledge or facts. They are getting behind an allegation only – motivated by money.”

“I didn’t rape Kesha and I have never had sex with her. Kesha and I were friends for many years and she was like my little sister.”

“Kesha has denied under oath the horrible allegations now being made against me. Here is the testimony,” he added, before tweeting a clipping from the New York Daily News and what appears to be a highlighted court transcript from TMZ.

“Imagine if you or somebody you loved was publicly accused of a rape you knew they didn’t do. Imagine that,” the producer continued. “I have 3 sisters, a daughter, and a son with my girlfriend, and a feminist mom who raised me right.”

“Kesha and I made a lot of songs together and it was often good but there were creative differences at times… It’s sad that she would turn a contract negotiation into something so horrendous and untrue.”

“But I feel confident when this is over the lies will be exposed and the truth will prevail.. I want to thank all my friends and family who have supported me throughout this. This is an ongoing legal case so I won’t be responding / talking much about this. This should be tried in a court of law.”

Dr. Luke’s lawyers have also released their own statement, dismissing Kesha’s claims as “outright lies that have been advanced to extort a contract renegotiation and money,” and claiming that she and her family have subjected Dr. Luke to “trial by Twitter”.

They also took a shot at the #FreeKesha movement, although avoided actually referencing it by name: “The New York County Supreme Court on Friday found that Kesha is already ‘free’ to record and release music without working with Dr. Luke as a producer is she doesn’t want to. Any claim that she isn’t ‘free’ is a myth.”

However, Kesha’s own lawyer has dismissed Sony’s promise to continue promoting her music if she chooses to work with a producer other than Dr. Luke as “illusory”, saying that Sony has more cash invested in their star hitmaker and will sideline Kesha’s career (which has already been on hold since October of 2014, when she filed her first civil suit).

Read the full statement from Dr. Luke’s lawyers, as well as his full Twitter rant, below.

In the meantime, here’s a copy of the original complaint filed by Kesha in 2014 (read the full document here.)

For those needing assistance, 1800 Respect – the National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service – can be reached on 1800 737 732

 

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Statement from Dr. Luke’s Attorneys:

“The New York County 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. Dr. Luke and his companies invested in Kesha’s success through their contributions, Sony Music has already spent over $11 million promoting Kesha, and Sony Music and its label Kemosabe Records are committed to continuing to promote her work.

“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.

“Tellingly, Kesha never reported any purported abuse or rape to any law enforcement authority, or even to Sony Music, and further swore under oath in another matter, while accompanied by her team of lawyers, that it never occurred. The goal of Kesha’s counsel throughout has been to obtain a more lucrative contract through a shameless campaign of outrageous claims they will never stand behind in a court of law.

“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. Nor has she ever offered a credible explanation as to why she would have signed a second recording agreement, recorded two albums and an EP and signed a publishing deal with Dr. Luke after allegedly being sexually abused. It will further be shown that the incidents alleged never happened.”

 

 

Emmy Mack
Emmy Mack

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