Here’s Some More Bullshit: Kesha Suffers Another Setback In Her Legal Battle With Dr. Luke

Warning: this article discusses abuse.

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Kesha’s four-year battle to remove herself from recording contracts with her producer and alleged abuser Dr. Luke has suffered another setback, with her latest appeal being rejected by a New York court.

The appeal in question related to a denied countersuit from March 2017 against Dr. Luke, aka Lukas Gottwald. Gottwald sued Kesha Rose Sebert for defamation in 2014, shortly after the pop star alleged that he had “sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused [Kesha] to the point where [she] nearly lost her life.”

The pop star countersued, stating that she is owed royalties and that it’s impossible for her to perform while her legal ties to Gottwald remained in place.

“You can get a divorce from an abusive spouse,” her countersuit outlined. “You can dissolve a partnership if the relationship becomes irreconcilable. The same opportunity — to be liberated from the physical, emotional, and financial bondage of a destructive relationship — should be available to a recording artist.”

Currently, the popstar must release music through her label Sony and imprint Kemosabe Records, which Gottwald owns. While Sony allowed Sebert to work on last year’s album Rainbow without Gottwald’s oversight, the album itself — which featured powerful ballads on self-healing — was still a profit source for her alleged abuser.

As first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Sebert’s appeal was denied yesterday. The court cited the same claims as the original denial — that Sebert failed to provide notice of contract breaches or prove that it was impossible for Sebert to perform, with the judge citing Kesha’s recent and upcoming tours, which includes dates in Australia this October.

From here, it is likely that only Dr. Luke’s defamation case will be considered in court, unless Kesha’s legal team makes a further appeal.

Under her current contract, Kesha will have to release three more albums with Kemosabe Records.

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