Kesha may finally take her dispute with Dr. Luke before a judge in November

The singer and the producer's respective legal teams sent dueling, strongly-worded letters to the court ahead of a possible trial

By Hattie Lindert  |  August 31, 2022 | 2:02pm
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Kesha may finally take her dispute with Dr. Luke before a judge in November
Kesha and Dr. Luke Image: The A.V. Club

After well over a decade of pop stardom, Kesha knows her way around manipulative management. In her long-running legal dispute with her former producer Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald—who Kesha has claimed drugged and assaulted her—the pop star has consistently pushed back against any and all tactics that sideline her story. In a new letter addressed to a New York court obtained by Rolling Stone, Kesha’s lawyer Leah Godesky affirmed the artist is “more than eager” to go to court with Gottwald.

Gottwald and Kesha (full name Kesha Rose Sebert) first entered legal turmoil in 2014, when they sued each other on the same day. Sebert accused Gottwald of drugging, assaulting, and verbally abusing her; Gottwald claimed the artist made defamatory statements as a means to better her contract. In February 2020, a court found that Sebert had in fact defamed Gottwald in telling Lady Gaga that Gottwald raped singer Katy Perry—Sebert appealed the decision, but was denied on grounds that Gottwald doesn’t constitute a “public figure.”

The letter also accused the producer of jeopardizing a planned February 2023 trial date by rejecting Kesha’s multiple pushes to move more quickly through the pre-trial appeal process. Per the letter, while Sebert has “done everything in her power” to ensure a swift and on-time trial, Gottwald has “obstructed her efforts at every turn.”

Although Gottwald’s own lawyer Christine Lepera wrote the court two weeks ago stating that the producer is “ready and willing to proceed with trial,” Godesky is more than skeptical—she argues resolving Sebert’s two pending appeals before any trial is “essential.”

“Kesha has an overwhelming interest in having the trial proceed as scheduled on February 20, 2023, not only so that she can seek vindication but also so that she can get this ordeal behind her and move on with her life,” Godesky writes.

In a Tuesday statement to Rolling Stone, Gottwald’s lawyers pushed back at Godesky’s claims, insisting that the producer has every interest in getting to trial.

“It is Kesha’s attorneys who have delayed the case for years by endlessly filing meritless appeals, which they have lost time and again. If the case is not tried in February, it solely will be due to the fact that Kesha’s lawyers decided yet again to take more appeals—this time of two decisions that once again ruled against her in the Appellate Division,” lawyers Lapera and Jeffery Movit wrote.

 
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