Nine years later, Kesha and Dr. Luke have finally settled their defamation lawsuit.
Taking to their respective social media accounts, on Thursday (6.22) the superstar singer/songwriter and her former producer issued joint statements on Instagram announcing their out of court settlement prior to next month’s scheduled trial.
“Only God knows what happened that night, as I have always said,” read Kesha’s part of the statement. “I cannot recount everything that happened. I am looking forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one.”
Claiming in Los Angeles and New York courts that the producer had drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2005, Kesha sued Dr. Luke in 2014, alleging that she also endured a decade of physical and verbal abuse.
In response, Dr. Luke, (born Lukasz Gottwald) filed for defamation, claiming that the singer fabricated her allegations in order to get out of her recording contract.
“While I appreciate Kesha again acknowledging she cannot recount what happened that night in 2005, I am absolutely certain that nothing happened,”read Gottwald’s part of the statement. “I never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone. For the sake of my family, I have vigorously fought to clear my name for nearly 10 years. It is time for me to put this difficult matter behind me and move on with my life. I wish Kesha well.”
Over jurisdiction and statute-of-limitation issues, Kesha’s New York lawsuit was dismissed n 2016 and months later, the singer’s lawyer told Rolling Stone that the Los Angeles suit had been dropped so Kesha could re-focus on her music.
Dr. Luke won his defamation case in 2020, but the New York Court of Appeals ruled in Kesha’s favor earlier this month and allowed her to appeal and file a counterclaim.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Kristopher Harris