Kesha Drops California Lawsuit Against Dr. Luke
The legal battle between Kesha and Dr. Luke has ended in California, Rolling Stone reports. Kesha has dropped her California lawsuit, which accused Dr. Luke of rape and sexual abuse. The action was on hold since June of last year pending the outcome of Dr. Luke’s lawsuit in New York accusing Kesha of defamation. Daniel Petrocelli, Kesha’s legal counsel, wrote in a statement to Rolling Stone:
“Kesha has dismissed her California action without prejudice while she pursues her appeal and other legal claims in the New York courts. Kesha is focused on getting back to work and has delivered 28 new songs to the record label. We have conveyed to Sony and the label Kesha’s strong desire to release her next album and single as soon as possible.”
Christine Lepera, an attorney for Dr. Luke, responded in a statement:
“If Kesha is voluntarily dismissing her claims in the California case, it is because she has no chance of winning them. Earlier this year, she lost her meritless counterclaims against Dr. Luke in the New York Action. Recently, the California Court invited Dr. Luke and the other defendants to move to dismiss Kesha’s claims in that action. Kesha never should have brought her false and meritless claims against Dr. Luke in any court. Dr. Luke’s defamation and other claims against Kesha are still proceeding.”
A New York judge recently dismissed Kesha’s countersuit in New York alleging emotional distress, employment discrimination, and gender-based hate crimes. In February, the judge also denied Kesha’s request to record legally for labels other than Dr. Luke’s Sony imprint Kemosabe Records—the ruling that Kesha appealed.
In May, Kesha’s Billboard Music Awards performance was blocked and then subsequently reinstated by Kemosabe, after reassurances that Kesha would not use the performance as “a platform to discuss the litigation.” The singer performed a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe” alongside Ben Folds.
Kesha recently replaced Mark Geragos—the lawyer who sued Dr. Luke on her behalf in October 2014, was later sued by Dr. Luke for defamation, and more recently, represented her through a pair of major legal setbacks.
On April 29, Kesha unveiled her Zedd collaboration “True Colors,” her first official release since Pitbull’s Dr. Luke-produced 2013 song “Timber.” Zedd clarified via Twitter that “Kemosabe / RCA gave us permission to release this song.” Kesha performed Lady Gaga’s “Til It Happens to You,” which she dedicated “to every man, woman, child, and animal that has ever been abused.”
She is about to tour under the name “Kesha and the Creepies,” where she promises to perform some of the new music she’s recorded for a new album.
Read “Are Kesha’s Lawyers Playing to the Public More Than the Courts?” and “Why Kesha Lost Her Court Battle, But Not Necessarily the War” on the Pitch.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story erroneously indicated that the California lawsuit had been on hold since June 2016. It had been stayed since June 2015.
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