Kesha defamed Dr Luke in Katy Perry rape claim text, judge rules
Written by News on 08/02/2020
A judge has ruled Kesha defamed music producer Dr Luke when she sent a text to Lady Gaga claiming he had raped Katy Perry.
The singer was ordered to pay Lukasz “Dr Luke” Gottwald $374,000 (£289,000) during a hearing at New York’s Supreme Court.
The pop star, whose full name is Kesha Rose Sebert, rose to fame in 2009 with Dr Luke-produced hits like Tik Tok and We R Who We R.
But then a court battle began between the pair in 2014 when Kesha accused him of sexually assaulting and emotionally abusing her.
He subsequently sued her in 2017 for defamation and breach of contract, claiming she made up the Perry rape allegations to strengthen her case and get out of contractual obligations.
In a deposition in 2017 Perry denied that she had been assaulted by Gottwald.
Judge Jennifer G Schecter said that this testimony and a lack of evidence led her to the conclusion that Kesha had defamed Gottwald.
She said: “Perry unequivocally testified that Gottwald did not do so. In response, Kesha has not raised a triable issue.
“There is no evidence whatsoever that Gottwald raped Katy Perry or that Katy Perry, whose sworn testimony is unrefuted, must not be believed. Kesha cannot defeat summary judgment with mere speculation.”
Kesha was ordered to pay $374,000 in interest for her late payment of $1.3m (£1m) of royalties owed to Gottwald’s record label KMI.
Gottwald’s lawyer Christine Lepera said in a statement: “Dr Luke is pursuing this lawsuit to seek recovery for the serious harm Kesha’s false accusations of rape have caused Dr Luke, his family and business.”
A larger defamation case related to Kesha’s claims that Gottwald drugged and raped her could still go to trial.
Ms Lepera’s statement said: “Dr Luke looks forward to the trial of his case where he will prove that Kesha’s other false statements about him were equally false and defamatory.”
Kesha’s lawyers said they will appeal the court’s decision.
(c) Sky News 2020: Kesha defamed Dr Luke in Katy Perry rape claim text, judge rules
