Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, posted a series
of tweets saying that people supporting Kesha's claims of sexual
assault against him were "getting behind an allegation only -
motivated by money."
"I didn’t rape Kesha and I have never had sex with her. Kesha
and I were friends for many years and she was like my little
sister," the producer said.
"But lives can get ruined when there’s a rush to judgment before
all the facts come out ... It’s sad that she would turn a
contract negotiation into something so horrendous and untrue,"
he added.
Anger and sympathy for the "Tik Tok" singer swelled after a New
York judge ruled on Friday that Kesha, 28, could not be released
from her six-album recording contract with Sony Music.
Kesha claimed in a 2014 lawsuit that Dr. Luke raped and
emotionally manipulated her. Dr. Luke countersued and both cases
have yet to come to trial.
Singer Taylor Swift has donated $250,000 to Kesha to help her
financial needs, while Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus
and Ariana Grande are among hundreds who have posted messages on
Instagram and Twitter to the fast-growing #FreeKesha campaign.
"Most important for Kesha, is that these beautiful, powerful
women are standing behind her, letting the world see how
powerful the truth is!" Kesha's mother, Pebe Sebert, posted on
Twitter on Sunday.
Dr. Luke's attorney, Christine Lepera, on Monday accused the
singer and her legal team of conducting a "trial by Twitter,
using a vicious smear campaign to ruin his reputation."
She said the allegations in Kesha's lawsuit are "outright lies
that have been advanced to extort a contract renegotiation and
money."
Lepera said Kesha, who burst on the music scene in 2009, was
"already 'free' to record and release music without working with
Dr. Luke as a producer if she doesn’t want to."
"Any claim that she isn’t 'free' is a myth," Lepera said.
(Reporting By Jill Serjeant and Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bill
Trott and Alan Crosby)
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