Kesha claims sex assault in lawsuit against music producer Dr. Luke
Pop star's producer has filed his own lawsuit claiming defamation and breach of contract
International pop star Kesha, whose real name is Kesha Rose Sebert, is claiming sexual, physical and verbal abuse in a bombshell lawsuit against her longtime producer, Lukasz (Dr. Luke) Gottwald.
The 27-year-old American singer and songwriter, whose hits include Tik Tok, We R Who We R and Die Young, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The court filing, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, claims Dr. Luke began abusing Kesha after he discovered her in Nashville, Tenn., 10 years ago, convincing the 18-year-old to "drop out of school" and move to Los Angeles to “pursue a glamorous career in the music industry.”
Once she was living in L.A., the lawsuit alleges, Dr. Luke forced Kesha to take drugs and alcohol in order to take advantage of her sexually.
It also claims he repeatedly disparaged her appearance "in order to make her feel completely worthless and maintain complete control over her life."
Kesha, who recently sought treatment for an eating disorder, is seeking to void her contracts with Dr. Luke so she may seek agreements with other recording and publishing companies.
Dr. Luke claims defamation
He claims the singer's allegations stem from a contract dispute.
"As part of the effort to get out of the Gottwald Recording Agreement, Kesha and [her mother] Pebe have also orchestrated a campaign of publishing false and shocking accusations against Gottwald to extort Plaintiffs into letting Kesha out of the Gottwald Recording Agreement," states his complaint, as obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
Kesha’s lawyer Mark Garagos, responded to Dr. Luke’s lawsuit in the an interview with the Reporter, calling it “a despicable thing.”
"It reminds me of Ray Rice threatening to sue his wife for ruining his career," he said, referring to the NFL player suspended after a video showing him hitting his wife surfaced. "[Dr. Luke] thinks that because he has got more money than he knows what to do, he can do whatever he wants. Our complaint is accurate and supported by evidence and witnesses."
Neither party's allegations has been proven in court.