Dr. Luke Records Another Win In Battle With Kesha

Matt Sayles / Invision / AP – Kesha
Kesha sings “Praying” during the Grammy Awards at Madison Square Garden in NYC Jan. 28.

A New York State Supreme Court struck down Kesha’s latest appeal in her longstanding efforts to escape her contracts with producer Dr. Luke, whom she claims raped her.

The latest ruling came May 29, deciding Kesha’s counterclaims in a defamation suit filed by Dr. Luke in 2016 were “devoid of merit,” according to NPR. This is one in a long string of losses for Kesha, who filed her initial suit against Dr. Luke in 2014 in California, alleging the producer signed her when she was 18 and drugged, raped and abused her for almost a decade.

Dr. Luke responded to the allegations by essentially claiming in his own suit that her claim was filed because contract negotiations weren’t going Kesha’s way and he did not take advantage of her.

The ongoing legal battle resulted in multiple suits being filed in California and New York, but Kesha dismissed her own California lawsuit in 2016, choosing to keep the court battle in New York. 

Kesha did perform an emotional rendition of her song “Praying” with a chorus of women at the most recent Grammy Awards, and starts a co-headlining tour with Macklemore June 6. She also has solo dates planned in North America, Southeast Asia, and Australia this year.