Producer Dr Luke‘s counter lawsuit against his artist Kesha has been put on hold.
Kesha recently filed a lawsuit against Dr Luke for “mental manipulation, emotional abuse and sexual assault”. Dr Luke responded by filing a lawsuit of his own, claiming that the singer has fabricated her claims in order to be released from her contract with him.
Now, however, judges have ruled that Kesha’s suit will be heard first, which gives the singer something of an advantage. Billboard write: “This arguably gives Kesha a tactical advantage, and Dr. Luke’s side isn’t happy because they see the overall controversy as primarily one over contracts — deals that designate New York as the forum to adjudicate any dispute. For this reason, they’ve been pressing the California judge to delay Kesha’s lawsuit in favor of their own.”
“Now, in a bid to appeal, Dr. Luke’s side argues that the New York judge “lacked discretion to effectively re-write the parties’ contracts,” to pause a dispute that involves parties who aren’t involved in the California lawsuit, and to hold off on adjudicating his claims of defamation and breach of contract. In short, Dr. Luke is unhappy at the loss of controlling the place and nature of the battle.”
Kesha claims in her suit that Dr Luke – who she signed with at the age of 18 – made her snort something before getting on a plane “and during the trip he forced himself on her while she was drugged”. She also alleges that she was given something Dr Luke called “sober pills” before waking up the next day “naked in Dr Luke’s bed, sore, sick… and with no memory of how she got there.”
The pop singer filed the lawsuit last year (October 14) and is looking to be freed from her contract with the producer. Kesha’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, said at the time: “This lawsuit is a wholehearted effort by Kesha to regain control of her music career and her personal freedom after suffering for ten years as a victim of mental manipulation, emotional abuse and sexual assault at the hands of Dr. Luke. The facts presented in our lawsuit paint a picture of a man who is controlling and willing to commit horrible acts of abuse in an attempt to intimidate an impressionable, talented, young female artist into submission for his personal gain. Kesha is focused on moving her life and her career beyond this terrible time.”