EXCLUSIVE: ‘God only knows what happened that night.’ Kesha has revealed that she and Dr Luke have finally settled their years-long sexual assault and defamation battle – a month before the case goes to trial
Kesha and music producer Dr. Luke has finally reached a settlement in their year-long defamation case – a month before the case was set to go to trial.
The two sides agreed to issue a joint statement regarding the resolution in an Instagram post shared by the singer on Thursday.
‘Only God knows what happened that night. As I’ve always said, I can’t describe what happened,’ Kesha, 36, wrote.
‘I look forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and starting a new one. I wish nothing but peace for all parties involved.’
Kesha and music producer Dr. Luke finally reached a settlement in their years-long defamation case — a month before the case went to trial.
The statement was followed by a message from Dr Luke: ‘Although I commend Kesha again she cannot describe what happened that night in 2005. I’m pretty sure nothing happened.
‘I have never drugged him or assaulted him and would never do it to anyone. For the sake of my family, I fought vigorously to clear my name for almost 10 years. It’s time to put this difficult matter behind me and move on with my life. I wish Kesha well.’
The development comes a week after a New York appeals court ruled that Dr Luke, real name Lukasz Gottwald, was a ‘limited public figure’ in the case, which was set to go to trial in late July.
The two have been embroiled in a bitter legal battle for nearly a decade after Kesha claimed the producer sexually assaulted her.
Dr. Luke sued the pop star in 2014, claiming she defamed him by falsely accusing him of raping her nearly 20 years ago.
The New York court’s decision last week, however, overturned a mid-level appeals court that said Dr. Luke was a private figure subject to a lower burden of proof because he was not a household name.
The new ruling will make it more difficult for the music producer to win his case because it means he has to prove that Kesha acted with actual malice.
‘By 2014, when Gottwald commenced this defamation action, he was, by his own account, a celebrity – an acclaimed music producer who had achieved great success in a high-profile career,’ Judge Michael Garcia wrote for the court on June 13.
The court also said a state judge should have allowed Kesha to file a counterclaim against Dr. Luke for emotional distress, punitive damages and legal fees.
The lengthy legal battle began in October 2014, when Kesha sued Dr. Luke for sexual assault and battery, claiming his abusive behavior caused her to develop an eating disorder.
The singer claimed that Dr. Luke drugged and raped her in 2005, and in 2016, she publicly accused singer Katy Perry of raping her.
Dr. Luke has been fired directly with a defamation lawsuit of his own, claiming Kesha defamed him with her false claims, when she told Lady Gaga in a text that Dr. Luke raped Katy Perry.
Perry denied that Dr. Luke raped her in a deposition, and a judge ruled that Kesha defamed her former producer.
The judge also ruled that Kesha must pay Dr. Luke $373,000 for over $1.3 million in late royalties.
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