New York’s highest state court has recently dealt a blow to music producer Dr. Luke’s defamation lawsuit against pop star Kesha, making it tougher for him to prove his case.
The lawsuit centers around Kesha’s allegations that Dr. Luke raped her almost two decades ago, which he claims are false and defamatory.
The highest court in New York has made it harder for music producer Dr. Luke to win his lawsuit against pop star Kesha. Dr. Luke accused Kesha of defaming him by falsely claiming he raped her almost two decades ago.
The court ruled that Dr. Luke is a public figure, meaning he needs to prove that Kesha acted with malice to win the case.
This decision overturns a previous ruling that considered Dr. Luke a private figure, which required a lower burden of proof.
Judge Michael Garcia stated, “By 2014, when Gottwald initiated this defamation action, he was, by his own account, a celebrity – an acclaimed music producer who had achieved enormous success in a high-profile career.”
In addition, the court stated that a state judge should have permitted Kesha to file counterclaims against Dr. Luke, which include emotional distress, punitive damages, and legal fees.
Requests for comment made to Kesha’s lawyers were not immediately answered.
On the other hand, Christine Lepera, Dr. Luke’s lawyer, is confident that Kesha’s counterclaims will be denied in the end. Lepera also commented, “At trial, Ms. Sebert will be required to defend her harmful and long-standing press campaign against Mr. Gottwald.”
In 2014, Kesha sued Dr. Luke and Sony Music in an attempt to terminate a recording contract covering multiple albums. In response, Dr. Luke filed a counterclaim for defamation. Kesha had a series of hits, including “Tik Tok” and “We R Who We R,” beginning in 2009.
According to Dr. Luke, he did not rape Kesha in 2005, and she made a series of false statements on social media, in court filings, and in text messages to Lady Gaga.
In 2020, a New York state judge ruled against Kesha, and an appeals court upheld the decision in 2021. However, recently, the Court of Appeals mostly overturned the ruling and sent the case back to trial.
The court also decided that some of Kesha’s alleged defamatory statements could not be the basis of a lawsuit because they were made during her separate litigation against Dr. Luke. Kesha eventually dropped her lawsuit, stating that she wanted to focus on her music.
