This story has been updated. See below.
There’s a new development in the sordid contract battle between Kesha and her former producer that may bolster the singer’s case.
In the latest turn in the ongoing legal struggle, the singer has released a slew of emails from 2012 between Dr. Luke and her manager, Monica Cornia, Page Six reports. In the emails, Dr. Luke makes references to keeping Kesha on strict diets and dismisses her opinions.
In one exchange, according to the paper, Dr. Luke complains about the singer breaking a juice fast with “diet coke and turkey.” In another, he claims that Kesha’s career is suffering because of her body: “A list songwriters and producers are reluctant to give Kesha their songs because of her weight,” he wrote to Cornia.
Subscribe to the Broadsheet, Coins2Day’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.
Another email conversation shows a controlling dynamic between producer and artist. According to Cornia, when Kesha tried to amend lyrics to her song, “Crazy Kids,” Dr. Luke responded with, “I don’t give a s–t what you want. If you were smart you would go in and sing it.”
Dr. Luke’s lawyer, Christine Lepera, wrote in an emailed statement to Coins2Day that these communications were taken out of context, “improperly publicized, without Court permission,” and “do not present the full picture regarding the events they concern.”
Kesha filed her lawsuit against Dr. Luke and his Sony-owned (SNE) record label, Kemosabe Records, in 2014. The suit alleges that he “sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused” her over the course of several years.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the singer also alleges that the producer drugged and raped her at some point in the early stages of her recording contract. (Dr. Luke has denied all claims.)
Last February, a judge denied Kesha’s request for a preliminary injunction—which would allow her to get out of her contract with Dr. Luke and Sony and record new music. A month later, she filed an appeal in Manhattan Supreme Court challenging the injunction denial.
Page Six reports that the parties are scheduled for a conference with the judge next week. Lepera said that “Dr. Luke looks forward to full vindication in Court.”
This story has been updated to include a statement from Dr. Luke’s Lawyer, Christine Lepera.
