|
 Kesha, 27, whose legal name is Kesha Sebert, has accused Dr.
Luke in a civil lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court of
sexual, physical, verbal and emotional abuse.
The lawsuit accuses Dr. Luke, whose legal name is Lukasz
Gottwald, of forcing Kesha to "take drugs and alcohol in order
to take advantage of her sexually while she was intoxicated."
The 41-year-old producer behind hits for singers such as Katy
Perry and Miley Cyrus responded with his own lawsuit in New York
state Supreme Court in Manhattan accusing Kesha and her mother,
Pebe Sebert, of defamation, breach of contract and contractual
interference.
The lawsuit accuses Kesha and her mother of orchestrating a
campaign to publish "false and shocking accusations" against Dr.
Luke to extort him into letting the singer out of her contract.
"Kesha's lawsuit is nothing more than a continuation of her bad
and offensive acts," Dr. Luke's attorney, Christine Lepera said
in a statement.
Kesha, who has scored No. 1 U.S. hits "Tik Tok" and "We R Who We
R" that Dr. Luke helped write and produce, has been under
contract to record for Dr. Luke's music production company and
record label since 2005.
Kesha's lawsuit accuses Dr. Luke of drugging and raping the
singer and threatening her career if she told anyone about it,
among other lurid accusations about the producer's personal
life.
[to top of second column] |
"This lawsuit is a wholehearted effort by Kesha to regain control of
her music career and her personal freedom after suffering for 10
years as a victim of mental manipulation, emotional abuse and sexual
assault at the hands of Dr. Luke," the singer's attorney, Mark
Geragos, said in a statement.
Geragos said Dr. Luke's suit "has no basis in fact, the law or
reality."
Kesha's lawsuit also names Dr. Luke's companies as defendants. It
demands unspecified damages and to void Kesha's current contracts
with Dr. Luke.
It alleges the producer's insults to Kesha's appearance caused her
to develop bulimia nervosa. She finished a more than two-month
treatment for the condition in March.
The lawsuit says physicians at the rehab clinic determined that
Kesha continuing to work with Dr. Luke would be "life threatening."
In addition to Kesha and her mother, Dr. Luke's lawsuit names the
singer's manager and management company. The lawsuit asks for a jury
trial and unspecified damages.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
