Sony ends relationship with Dr. Luke amid Kesha legal battle
Sony Music has cut ties with Dr. Luke amid the mega-producer’s ongoing legal battle with Kesha, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
In 2011, Sony and Luke (aka Lukasz Gottwald) founded Kemosabe Records with the producer as head of the company; now, THR reports Luke is no longer CEO of the label “and the company asserts he no longer has authority to act on its behalf.” Furthermore, a bio page on Dr. Luke is no longer available on Sony Music’s website.
Reps for Luke, Sony and Kesha did not immediately respond to WHO’s request for comment.
The parting of ways comes when there is seemingly no end in sight for the lawsuit between Luke, 43, and Kesha, 30. In 2014, the pop star sued the producer, alleging he drugged, raped and verbally, physically and emotionally abused her for years. Luke has vehemently denied the allegations and countersued for breach of contract and defamation.
Kesha has been dealt a number of blows to her case against the producer and music exec: Last year, a judge dismissed her abuse claims; and last month, THR reported the same judge refused her attempt to amend counterclaims.
Sony cutting ties with Luke means Kesha’s future in the music industry remains murky, as she is still contractually tied to Luke’s production and publishing companies until she delivers three more albums.
In court documents obtained by WHO in January, Kesha’s lawyers asserted that a separation between Luke and Sony could be detrimental to her career.
“Dr. Luke is poised to acquire even greater control over Kesha and her career in March 2017, when Sony’s contract with Dr. Luke and his companies purportedly ends,” her lawyers wrote in an amended counterclaim.
“The end of this contract means that Sony may no longer have any role in the creation of Kesha’s music, leaving Kesha’s livelihood in the hands of a person aiming to bankrupt her and her family through litigation, cutting off her legitimately earned income, and personally humiliating her as he has done for years,” Kesha’s lawyers continued in the documents. “Without the Court’s intervention and Sony’s facilitation, Kesha will remain contractually bound to Dr. Luke until she releases three additional albums, each containing six songs produced individually by Dr. Luke, no matter how many years that takes.”
At the time, Luke’s attorney, Christine Lepera, told WHO in a statement: “Kesha’s new proposed counterclaim simply repeats the meritless and untrue allegations that were set forth in her earlier pleadings and which Dr. Luke fully disputes.”
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE.
