Lawsuit Battle: Kesha v. Dr. Luka
November 10, 2014
“Tick-tock”, singer Kesha has decided to file a lawsuit against her producer Lasz Gottwald (Dr. Luke), who has produced several chart-topping hits for Pink, Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson. Born Kesha Rose Sebert, she is most known for her hits, such as “Your Love is My Drug” and “Blow.” But recently Kesha has made allegations against Dr. Luke for abusing her sexually, emotionally, verbally and physically since she was 18 years old. The lawsuit for the sexual assault and battery claims were filed on October 14th in Los Angeles Superior Court.
In the beginning, many would say the pair was a hit-making match-made in heaven to the mainstream public. But behind closed doors, Kesha alleges it was the total opposite. The lawsuit claims that Dr. Luke, 41, coerced her into taking drugs and made sexual advances to her while she was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. In addition, she alleges that he gave her a “date-rape” drug in order to take advantage of her when they were traveling. He also allegedly made threats to destroy her, by ending her career, if she ever uttered the incidents to anyone.
Kesha recently completed a rehabilitation program for the eating disorder, bulimia, where she states that Dr. Luke’s constant criticism and influence over her life was a contributing factor to her illness. Although her music has been popular in the last few years, one cannot help but to think that a dark aura lies beneath her Kesha’s “grunge-tastic” appearance. Some would say her appearance and antics were even reckless. However, most critics just attributed this behavior to her attempts to convey a particular image as an entertainer.
On October 20th, Dr. Luke filed a countersuit to state the singer’s claims as false. “These are allegations that Kesha and [her mother] Pebe, have themselves admitted are false,” Dr. Luke’s lawyer told FOX411 that “The complaint [filed on behalf of Dr. Luke] explains that Kesha, and her mother Pebe, have wielded these defamatory statements in an attempt to extort Gottwald into releasing Kesha from her exclusive recording agreement with Dr. Luke.”
In response, Kesha’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, told FOX411 in a statement: “This is just another pathetic and entirely predictable example of Dr. Luke’s continued abuse, and a misguided attempt to keep Kesha under his tyrannical control…Kesha is focused on reclaiming her voice and her freedom. She is determined to move on with her life and her career by putting this dark period behind her.”
For those who have seen the movie Glitter, this situation is all too similar. The film is about a volatile music relationship, between character Billie (played by Grammy Award winning singer Mariah Carey) and her character’s music producer, Dice. Problems arise between the singer and her producer in the midst of her rising fame and fortune, which eventually led to their downfall. Although, in the film there were not many scenes of a harsh abuse, it does trail the alleged factual enactments described by singer Kesha. As a young singer, Kesha was eager to have a promising and fruitful relationship through music, but she fell hard after her producer, the one person to look out for her interests, negatively impacted her professionally and personally. The rivalry has taken a turn for the worse. What was once a magic music duo has now turned into a bitter betrayal for both parties involved.