Kesha says she was proposed a deal to obtain her “freedom” in exchange for an apology and a recant of her account of sexual assault, as she continues her legal battle against Dr. Luke.
The 29-year-old pop singer had sued the music producer in 2014 for sexual assault and battery and is seeking to invalidate her recording contracts with him. Dr. Luke, 42, filed a countersuit and called her allegations “defamatory.” He also said he “didn’t rape Kesha” and “have never had sex with her.”
“So. I got offered my freedom IF i were to lie,” Kesha said on Instagram Sunday, alongside a selfie of her
looking somber. “I would have to APOLOGIZE publicly and say that I never got raped. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS behind closed doors. I will not take back the TRUTH. I would rather let the truth ruin my career than lie for a monster ever again.”
She did not name anyone.
“Kesha’s Instagram posting is false,” Dr. Luke’s spokesperson told E! News in a statement. “The Court repeatedly stated Kesha is already free to record without Dr. Luke, and that she had not presented any facts supporting her claims. That’s because all the evidence—including Kesha’s own videotaped sworn testimony—show her allegations are false.”
“The only thing Kesha is not free to do is to continue to lie about Dr. Luke through publicity stunts and outrageous smears, ignoring the fact that by her own free will she went to work and entered new contracts with Dr. Luke years after this ‘incident’ supposedly happened,” the statement continued. “Her goal all along has been solely personal enrichment by seeking to break contracts that brought her success and millions so she can enter into more lucrative ones. We look forward to our day in court holding Kesha accountable for her lies.”
Kesha’s fans have rallied behind her amid her legal battle, urging Sony Music, her label, to “Free Kesha.” The case has barred her from recording music without the involvement of Dr. Luke, whose real name Lukasz Gottwald.
In February, a judge denied Kesha’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have allowed her to release music outside of his authority. About two weeks ago, she filed an appeal.
“The Court erred in basing its decision on its finding that Kesha could record without interference from Gottwald,” her lawyers stated. “Although it recognized that “slavery was done away with a long time ago” and that ‘[y]ou can’t force someone to work…in a situation in which they don’t want to work,’ the Court’s ruling requiring Kesha to work for Gottwald’s companies, purportedly without his involvement, does just that. As the Court itself recognized, ‘[i]t’s slavery. You can’t do that.'”
Dr. Luke’s spokesperson had said in response that the court had “repeatedly stated Kesha was already free to record without Dr. Luke, and that she had not presented any facts supporting her claims.”
