“My fight continues. I need to get my music out. I have so much to say. This lawsuit is so heavy on my once free spirit, and I can only pray to one day feel that happiness again. I am continuing to fight for my rights in New York. Thank you for all your support. The support of my fans has been so beautiful and I’m so grateful for it. I’m Not sure where I would be without you all.” – Ke$ha
You probably know something of the battle that Kesha has had to fight against her former producer, Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald, and Sony Music , but in case you don’t here’s what you need to know: Kesha was reportedly assaulted and abused by Gottwald, beginning when she was 18. According to her mother, the singer was too frightened to report the abuse to the police. She feared for her safety and did not want to harm her career — Kesha told her mother, “Mom, I just want to sing. I don’t want to be a rape-case victim. I just want to get my music out.”
Kesha has been legally unable to put out music except under the control of Gottwald, and so has not released an album since 2012. In 2014, after receiving treatment for her eating disorder and mental health, Kesha finally filed a suit against Gottwald, in an attempt to break away from her contract. She then filed a suit against Sony music, alleging that they willfully ignored her abuse, and are complicit in Gottwald’s actions. Kesha and her mother have been embroiled in a legal battle against Sony and Gottwald since October of 2014. A judge dismissed Kesha’s charges against Gottwald in April , and since then, Gottwald has levied a counter-suit against the musician.
It has now been announced the Gottwald is suing Kesha’s mother, Pepe Sebert — and it’s actually his second suit against her. He and his lawyers are claiming “defamation of character” and say that Kesha and her mother are only filing the assault charges in an effort to get Kesha out of her contract. According to his lawyers, “After we originally filed suit against Pebe Sebert, she continued to make outrageous, false and defamatory statements against Dr. Luke in her widespread media campaign to damage him and smear his name. Pebe Sebert’s lawyers flat out refused to allow us to add those statements to the existing case or to toll the statute of limitations on them ― so we’ve been compelled to file an additional action.” The suit seeks unspecified damages, but Gottwald’s lawyers say that they would be “greatly in excess of the $75,000 jurisdictional minimum” — a sum that makes a statement.
Gottwald’s lawyers are citing, specifically, a Billboard interview that Sebert did, in which she described Kesha as “a prisoner.” Pepe said that Gottwald “was like someone who beats you every day and hangs you from a chain and then comes in and gives you a piece of bread. Luke would say, ‘You look nice today,’ and send her into hysterics of happiness because she was programmed to expect nothing but abuse.”
Sebert’s lawyer, Alex Little, says that Gottwald’s suit is just another “effort to sue a mother for publicly supporting and believing her daughter about being raped.” He says that it is “also a transparent attempt to delay the trial of these issues. Mrs. Sebert looks forward to presenting her case to a jury as soon as possible,” and that “When the evidence is made public, [Sebert] expects the jury will conclude that all of her statements have been justified.”
In the meantime, though the legal battle continues, the world has made is clear that it stands with Kesha. People around the world are posting on social media in solidarity with the musician, and artists such as Lady Gaga and Demi Lovato have expressed their support and outrage. The fight may not be over, but the world is watching.
Photo source: Instagram
More From BUST
Rape Culture Puts Kesha In A Horrifying, Impossible Situation
Why Is The Media Turning Kesha’s Rape Case Into A Girl Fight?
The Runaways’ Manager Was A Rapist, And In 1975, Nobody Cared
