A New York state judge today dealt Kesha a major blow in her years-long legal battle with music producer Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald).
On Wednesday, New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich dismissed the pop singer’s counterclaims against Gottwald and his Kemosabe Records label, which is part of Sony’s (SNE) U.S. Music unit, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Kesha Sebert (formerly known as Ke$ha) took her former mentor to court in 2014 in an attempt to escape her multi-album recording contract amid accusations that Gottwald had sexually and emotionally abused her, including claims that he drugged and raped her.
Gottwald has consistently denied all of the charges and hasn’t been charged criminally. The producer and Kemosabe are also countersuing Kesha for alleged breach of contract and defamation.
The judge ruled against Kesha on Wednesday, siding with Gottwald and Sony, on several of her claims, including those accusing Gottwald of discrimination and of violating New York’s hate crime statutes. Kornreich ruled that the claims in question cannot go forward due to the fact that the alleged rape and abuse occurred outside of New York and, because it allegedly took place in 2008, that the statute-of-limitations no longer applies. With regard to the hate crime claim, the judge stated that “every rape is not a gender-motivated hate crime,” according to THR.
In February, Kornreich denied a motion from Kesha’s lawyers to release the singer from her recording contract. In that ruling, the judge noted the company’s offer to allow Kesha to continue recording with the company under her current contract and without any interference from Gottwald. However, Kesha’s attorneys have referred to Sony’s offer as an “illusory promise.” (Kesha’s mother has also called Sony’s offer into question, claiming in a recent interview that Gottwald “has final say over everything” when it comes to her daughter’s recording contract.)
On Sunday, Kesha posted a picture on Instagram with a message claiming that Sony had “offered [her] freedom” if she would agree to rescind her rape claims and apologize publicly, which she declined to do. The singer also has a similar lawsuit that she filed against Gottwald in California, but that lawsuit is currently stalled.
Coins2Day reached out to attorneys for Kesha and Gottwald, along with a spokeswoman for Sony, and will update this article with any response.
