An update on Kesha’s legal battle with her rapist, Lukasz Gottwald, otherwise known as “Dr. Luke”:
After denying Kesha a preliminary injunction releasing her from her contract with Kemosabe, a label owned by Sony in February, on Wednesday, April 6th, New York State Judge Shirley Werner Kornreich threw out her case, siding with Sony and rejecting all of Kesha’s claims. According to Judge Kornreich, Kesha’s rape occurred outside the legal time limit and lacked jurisdiction.
Specifically, Judge Kornreich rejected Kesha’s claim that her rape was a hate crime, stating, “Although Dr. Luke’s alleged actions were directed toward Kesha, who is female, her claims do not allege that Luke harbored animus toward women or was motivated by gender animus when he allegedly behaved violently toward Kesha.”
Wow. Judge Kornreich added, “Every rape is not a gender-motivated hate crime.”
Really? It isn’t? Because according to this study the CDC published in 2014, 19.3% of women will be raped in their lifetime, compared to 1.7% of men. The vast majority of rapists are men: 99% of female suvivors were raped by men, and 79.3% of male survivors were raped by men.
It’s disgusting that Sony and Gottwald are not only not facing legal consequences, but also that Kesha’s claims are ignored on the grounds that rape culture doesn’t affect women. This legal battle is a reflection of the great injustice that women who are survivors of rape and other forms of sexual abuse experience in the U.S.
We stand with you, Kesha.
Images via facebook.com/kesha
More from BUST
Rape Culture Puts Kesha In A Horrifying, Impossible Situation
Kesha Stands Up To Dr. Luke And Sony: ‘I Will Not Take Back The TRUTH’
Kesha Can’t Record New Music, So She’s Starting A New Career
