Kesha and Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald have agreed to resolve their legal battle nearly nine years after the 36-year-old pop singer sued Luke, 49, for sexual abuse. The record producer sued Kesha for defamation the same year, and they were scheduled to begin a trial in July. They announced their deal via matching Instagram statements (seen below) they both released on Thursday, June 22.
“Only God knows what happened that night. As I have always said, I cannot recount everything that happened,” Kesha began in her statement. “I am looking forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one. I wish nothing but peace to all parties involved.”
Luke denied any wrongdoing and also expressed his gratitude that he can move on from the nearly decade-long battle. “While I appreciate Kesha again acknowledging that she cannot recount what happened that night in 2005, I am absolutely certain that nothing happened,” he wrote. “I never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone.”
“For the sake of my family, I have vigorously fought to clear my name for nearly 10 years,” he continued. “It is Time for me to put this difficult matter behind me and move on with my life. I wish Kesha well.”
In 2014, Kesha filed a civil suit against her former mentor and produce and accused him of drugging and raping her in 2005, as well as physically and verbally abusing her. Dr. Luke adamantly denied the allegations and sued her for defamation, claiming that Kesha made the “false and shocking” accusation to get out of her record contract. He later claimed that the allegations cost him a whopping $46 million.
In 2016, a New York Supreme Court judge dismissed Kesha’a efforts to be released from her record contract with Sony and Luke. Two months later, her rape claims were dismissed because the alleged assault occurred outside of New York and the statute of limitations expired, per NBC News. In April 2016, the “TikTok” hitmaker claimed Dr. Luke offered her a deal to retreat her statements in exchange for her “freedom” in a since-deleted Instagram post. “So. I got offered my freedom IF i were to lie. I would have to APOLOGIZE publicly and say that I never got raped,” the then-29-year-old singer wrote, per PEOPLE. “THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS behind closed doors,” she added. “I will not take back the TRUTH. I would rather let the truth ruin my career than lie for a monster ever again.”
In response, Luke’s team announced that Kesha is “free to record without Dr. Luke.” A statement to PEOPLE read, ““Kesha’s Instagram posting is false. 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 into 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.”
In 2020, a New York judge ruled that Kesha did defame Dr. Luke after she told Lady Gaga that he also raped Katy Perry. “There is no evidence whatsoever that [Dr. Luke] raped Katy Perry, or that Katy Perry, whose sworn testimony is unrefuted, must not be believed,” Judge Jennifer G. Schechter stated, per The Guardian.
Earlier this year, however, Kesha seemingly got a win over Dr. Luke when a judge ruled that he is a public person, per Variety, making it harder to prove that Kesha defamed him.