Kesha Sebert, better known simply as “Kesha” of award-winning singer/songwriter fame, has been the center of attention amid recent controversy surrounding the rape allegations she made against her producer, Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald). Kesha’s initial lawsuit was filed in California against Gottwald in October of 2014. This was shortly after her time spent in a rehabilitation center for an eating disorder, for which she blames years of abuse from her producer. Gottwald countered with a lawsuit claiming defamation and breach of contract- which has to be handled in New York due to a contractual “forum clause.” On February 19, New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich denied Kesha’s request for a preliminary injunction. Kesha broke down
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She cites at least two specific cases of drug-facilitated rape, although Gottwald’s lawyer, Christine Lepera, argues that Kesha has yet to provide factual details or formal evidence. Kesha recalls one incident, where Dr. Luke forced her to inhale a substance before boarding an airplane, and then sexually assaulted her during the flight while she was drugged and incapacitated. On another occasion, he made her take “sober pills,” which she later learned were GHB, a date rape drug. She woke up in his bed the following day, naked and sore, with no memory of how she got there. Lepera cites the fact that Kesha had never reported abuse to law enforcement or Sony Music. In an unsealed deposition from a separate court case in 2011, Kesha stated under oath that Dr. Luke had never given her a roofie and testified, “Dr. Luke never made sexual advances at me.” However, allegations of Gottwald’s emotional abuse include threats to Kesha’s career and the physical safety of her family if she ever told anyone of his behavior. Those close to Kesha claim that he has manipulated and abused her constantly, harassing her for her weight and micromanaging her image. Dr. Luke is extremely wealthy and powerful; it is reasonable for her to believe him capable of executing his various …show more content…
Luke took to Twitter to defend his name, stating “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.” He has maintained his innocence arguing that Kesha is lying in order to extort money from the company which has already invested millions in her career. He tweeted “It’s sad that she would turn a contract negotiation into something so horrendous and untrue.” Focusing on this neglects the fact that she cannot work during this time. They also ignore the extensive costs she faces for legal support and representation. In an affidavit for the injunction, former Universal Music Group Distribution CEO Jim Urie explained, "If Kesha cannot immediately resume recording and having her music promoted, marketed, and distributed by a major label, her career is effectively over." Making false accusations would not be in her best interests. She has no reason to lie about such a serious issue. An estimated two to eight percent of rape claims are false, but only 0.4 percent of rape accusations are false. This means that in most false reports, a perpetrator is not named. Unfortunately, the public image of Kesha, created by Dr. Luke, is of a wild party girl. She sings about drinking and sex, but as a female artist it comes off less rock-and-roll and more like another young celebrity trainwreck. This makes her an easy victim for her controlling producer- people will be less likely to believe her. Kesha says this
She cites at least two specific cases of drug-facilitated rape, although Gottwald’s lawyer, Christine Lepera, argues that Kesha has yet to provide factual details or formal evidence. Kesha recalls one incident, where Dr. Luke forced her to inhale a substance before boarding an airplane, and then sexually assaulted her during the flight while she was drugged and incapacitated. On another occasion, he made her take “sober pills,” which she later learned were GHB, a date rape drug. She woke up in his bed the following day, naked and sore, with no memory of how she got there. Lepera cites the fact that Kesha had never reported abuse to law enforcement or Sony Music. In an unsealed deposition from a separate court case in 2011, Kesha stated under oath that Dr. Luke had never given her a roofie and testified, “Dr. Luke never made sexual advances at me.” However, allegations of Gottwald’s emotional abuse include threats to Kesha’s career and the physical safety of her family if she ever told anyone of his behavior. Those close to Kesha claim that he has manipulated and abused her constantly, harassing her for her weight and micromanaging her image. Dr. Luke is extremely wealthy and powerful; it is reasonable for her to believe him capable of executing his various …show more content…
Luke took to Twitter to defend his name, stating “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.” He has maintained his innocence arguing that Kesha is lying in order to extort money from the company which has already invested millions in her career. He tweeted “It’s sad that she would turn a contract negotiation into something so horrendous and untrue.” Focusing on this neglects the fact that she cannot work during this time. They also ignore the extensive costs she faces for legal support and representation. In an affidavit for the injunction, former Universal Music Group Distribution CEO Jim Urie explained, "If Kesha cannot immediately resume recording and having her music promoted, marketed, and distributed by a major label, her career is effectively over." Making false accusations would not be in her best interests. She has no reason to lie about such a serious issue. An estimated two to eight percent of rape claims are false, but only 0.4 percent of rape accusations are false. This means that in most false reports, a perpetrator is not named. Unfortunately, the public image of Kesha, created by Dr. Luke, is of a wild party girl. She sings about drinking and sex, but as a female artist it comes off less rock-and-roll and more like another young celebrity trainwreck. This makes her an easy victim for her controlling producer- people will be less likely to believe her. Kesha says this