Kesha’s nearly decade-long legal battle against Dr. Luke has come to an end, as they’ve reportedly reached a settlement in her defamation case.
The singer originally claimed that Dr. Luke drugged and sexually assaulted her at a party in 2005, and subjected her to mental and emotional turmoil in the years afterwards. Kesha was signed to Dr. Luke's label and they were frequent musical collaborators. After the assault, she tried leaving her record contract, which created even more conflict and greatly stalled her career.
“The abuse I suffered from Luke was a decade long, every day, every moment of every day,” she said on the stand in 2017, arguing that the alleged abuse sparked an eating disorder flare-up, which resulted in her needing to attend rehab.
Dr. Luke has denied Kesha’s claims. But after years of countersuits and appeals, it appears the legal battle may be over.
The terms of the settlement haven’t been disclosed, but Kesha and Dr. Luke’s teams released a joint statement confirming a resolution was reached, and the duo’s desire to to put the case behind them.
In the statement, Kesha wrote, “Only God knows what happened that night.”
“As I have always said, I cannot recount everything that happened,” she continued. “I am looking forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one. I wish nothing but peace to all parties involved.”
As for his statement, Dr. Luke again denied any wrongdoing, “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.”
He continued, “It is time for me to put this difficult matter behind me and move on with my life. I wish Kesha well.”
The settlement comes only a few weeks before the case was set to go to trial. Moreover, it comes a little over a week after Kesha won a major court victory, which would’ve made it harder for Dr. Luke to prove she defamed him by accusing him of sexual assault.
The legal case had a huge impact on Kesha’s careers. She wasn’t able to release an album for five years, since she was still under contract with Dr. Luke’s label, and she refused to work with him.
The record label said she wouldn’t have to work personally with Dr. Luke, and Kesha eventually released Rainbow in 2017, plus two more albums since.
There’s no word on whether or not Kesha received a monetary payment as per the recent settlement, but at the very least, the singer can now focus on her music career.
Sources: Global News, Billboard,
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