Pop artist Kesha has dismissed a California lawsuit alleging producer Dr Luke sexually and emotionally abused her. A similar case will remain in play in New York, however.
Monday’s dismissal of a Los Angeles case comes amid an effort by the singer to get new music released despite her high-profile legal dispute with her former mentor.
Kesha’s attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, said the dismissal was filed so she can focus her legal efforts in New York, where she is suing the producer for sexual assault, battery, harassment and emotional distress. Dr Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, has denied Kesha’s allegations and accused her of suing to try to obtain a better recording deal.
Petrocelli said Kesha has also delivered 28 new songs to Dr Luke’s label, Kemosabe Records, which she is still signed to and Sony Music Entertainment, and hopes new singles and albums will be released soon.
“We have conveyed to Sony and the label Kesha’s strong desire to release her next album and single as soon as possible,” Petrocelli wrote in a statement.
Kesha is appealing two rulings in New York that prevented her from breaking her contract with Dr Luke’s label and that dismissed her claims of sexual and emotional abuse. The April ruling stated that Kesha’s rape and abuse allegations couldn’t move forward because the alleged incidents happened outside New York and fell outside the statute of limitations.
“If Kesha is voluntarily dismissing her claims in the California case, it is because she has no chance of winning them,” Dr Luke’s attorney, Christine Lepera, wrote in a statement. “Kesha never should have brought her false and meritless claims against Dr Luke in any court.”
Kesha’s career has been in limbo since she first sued Dr Luke in October 2014.
In May she delivered a performance of Bob Dylan’s It Ain’t Me, Babe at the Billboard music awards, but was only permitted to do so after Dr Luke’s label withdrew objections to her appearance because they feared she would use it as a platform to attack the producer.
Dr Luke – who has produced pop hits for stars including Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Kelly Clarkson and Nicki Minaj – has never been charged with any crime and has denied he abused the singer. His lawyers note that during sworn questioning in another lawsuit in 2011, Kesha said Dr Luke “never made sexual advances” toward her or gave her the date-rape drug known as a “roofie”.
He has sued the singer for defamation, a case that is still pending. Kesha’s former lawyers said she was too afraid of him to speak up at the time.