After nearly a decade of legal battles, producer and songwriter “Dr. Luke” has dropped his defamation lawsuit against Kesha, his former protégée who had accused him of rape in a 2014 lawsuit. The dispute had damaged both careers, but a joint resolution of the lawsuit was agreed upon before the trial that would have started next month. Kesha said, “Only God knows what happened that night,” and added that she is looking forward to closing the door on this chapter in her life and beginning a new one. Dr. Luke, on the other hand, said that he never drugged or assaulted Kesha and that he has vigorously fought to clear his name for nearly 10 years.
The legal entanglement started when Kesha claimed in a 2014 civil lawsuit in California that she should be released from her recording contract with Dr. Luke. She claimed that he had “sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused” her since she was a teenager. Kesha said that in 2005, she was drugged and raped by Dr. Luke after a party. However, no criminal charges were filed in the legal dispute.
Kesha and Dr. Luke had two No. 1 hits together, but things were not going well, and Kesha said that verbal abuse about her appearance and weight caused her extreme stress. Her campaign against Dr. Luke was supported by many other artists, including Adele, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Fiona Apple, Ariana Grande, and Kelly Clarkson. Lawyers for Dr. Luke contended that the rape and abuse accusations were “extortionist threats” stemming only from contract negotiations.
Dr. Luke had to work under pseudonyms for a time due to the Kesha backlash, but he eventually resumed his career and had Grammy nominations with Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Nicki Minaj, and Latto. Last month, he was honored as ASCAP’s pop songwriter of the year for the third time, following wins in 2010 and 2011.
