Dr. Luke and Kesha Settle Their Long-Running Legal Battle
Dr. Luke has dropped his defamation lawsuit against Kesha just weeks before a highly anticipated trial was set to begin, the music producer and the pop star announced in a joint statement on Thursday.
“Only God knows what happened that night,” Kesha said in the statement posted on Instagram, which added that the pair had reached a “resolution” in the lawsuit. “As I have always said, I cannot recount everything that happened. I am looking forward to closing the door on this chapter in my life and beginning a new one. I wish nothing but peace to all parties involved.”
A lawyer for Dr. Luke confirmed the settlement to The Daily Beast, stating that the producer and Kesha have resolved the case and wish “each other the best moving forward.”
“Kesha’s voluntary public statement clears Luke’s name as it proves she had no ground to accuse him of any wrongdoing,” attorney Christine Lepera added. A representative for Kesha did not immediately respond for comment.
The signaling of a deal marks the end of a long legal battle between Kesha and her former music producer. The saga began in 2014 when the “TikTok” singer sued Dr. Luke and Sony Music to get out of her multi-album recording deal. Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, then counter-sued Kesha for defamation, arguing that her claim that he had raped her in 2005 was false. He also alleged that Kesha Rose Seber had made a series of false statements online and in texts to Lady Gaga.
In 2020, a lower court judge ruled that Kesha defamed Dr. Luke, a decision that was reaffirmed a year later. Earlier this month, however, a New York appeals court ruled that Dr. Luke is a “public figure” and must prove that Kesha acted with “actual malice” when she accused him of raping her nearly 20 years ago.
Dr. Luke also released a statement about the decision to settle his lawsuit on Thursday, noting that while he appreciated that Kesha acknowledged she couldn’t recount what happened that night in 2005, he is certain that “nothing happened.”
“I never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone,” Dr. Luke added. “For the sake of my family, I have vigorously fought to clear my name for nearly 10 years. It is time for me to put this difficult matter behind me and move on with my life.”
“I wish Kesha well,” he added.
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