Artist News Legal

Kesha and Dr Luke’s lawyers argue over Gaga texts

By | Published on Monday 18 June 2018

Kesha

Kesha’s legal team have commented on the inclusion of text messages she sent to Lady Gaga in her ongoing legal battle with Dr Luke, who is suing her for defamation.

It emerged last week that Dr Luke’s legal action focuses on three allegedly defamatory remarks made by Kesha: the already known allegations that he drugged and raped her, but also text messages to Lady Gaga that alleged he also raped Katy Perry.

In a statement to Variety, a spokesperson for Kesha said: “With respect to the recent story regarding Katy Perry, the statement that Dr Luke assaulted her came from the CEO of a major record label, and was told by that executive at the same time to Kesha and Lady Gaga”.

It goes on: “The startling statement was subsequently discussed in a private, one-on-one text message between Kesha and Lady Gaga. It was neither published nor further distributed. It would have remained completely private, except that Dr Luke and his team took an email obtained only in [the] discovery [phase of this lawsuit] and decided to publish it to millions of people in his amended complaint against Kesha, and then claim reputational harm from his own widespread publication”.

They continued: “Dr Luke disclosed the private conversation between Kesha and Lady Gaga for no purpose other than to attack, harass, and ultimately bankrupt Kesha. His claim that Kesha’s private one-on-one text message about a statement from a record label CEO – to someone who had already heard the same statement – caused damages for which Kesha should be held liable is baseless”.

Responding in a statement of their own, Dr Luke’s legal team insisted that it was Kesha’s legal reps, not them, who had originally made public the accusation that the producer had raped Perry.

Team Luke said: “Kesha and her legal team are fully aware that Ms Perry has unequivocally confirmed that she was not raped by Dr Luke. Kesha and her attorneys should be ashamed of themselves for not publicly acknowledging this and apologising. Instead, they continue to publicise this and other falsehoods. In fact, Kesha’s false accusation involving Ms Perry came to public light only because Kesha’s attorneys filed the accusation publicly”.

The statement continues: “Kesha’s latest press release saying that a music executive told her that Dr Luke had raped Katy Perry is fully contradicted by that executive. He denied saying that. Contrary to her latest defamatory press statement, the evidence, including sworn testimony, will show the full extent and scope of the scurrilous falsehoods Kesha spread. As the old and true adage goes: Oh what a tangled web you weave when first you practice to deceive”.

One time collaborators Kesha and Dr Luke have been embroiled in a multi-layered legal battle for years now, of course. That legal battle is now centred on Luke’s defamation action.



READ MORE ABOUT: |