On Saturday, February 20th, Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich refused Kesha's–born Kesha Rose Sebert–injunction plea against Dr. Luke's–Luke Gottwald–producing contract. According to Kesha's representatives, Kesha wanted to break away from her six-album recording contract with Dr. Luke, because he had allegedly sexually, verbally, and mentally abused her since their professional relationship started in 2005. Dr. Luke argued in court that Kesha was creating these allegations against him to gain a contractual upper hand in renegotiating their record deal, but despite the severity of her claims, Kesha was denied the injunction on the basis that overturning their contract would undermine New York's laws regarding businesses.
This is an interesting turn of events, considering Kesha filed her lawsuit originally in Los Angeles. Although legal jargon can be hard to sort out, it is an obvious crime in itself that Kesha's accusations aren't given serious consideration because there isn't any evidence. The last I checked, sexual and verbal assaults cannot be proven. Consequently, it is nothing short of a crime that Kesha cannot be liberated from her contractual obligations because people assume her accusations are unmerited.
According to Eriq Gardner's article, "Kesha Warns Her Career Will Be Over Without Her Injunction Against Dr. Luke," in the Hollywood Reporter, Kesha is at a professional impasse. Under her contract with Dr. Luke's Sony subsidiary, Kemosabe Records, Kesha cannot record with another producer. This would explain her apparent hiatus in mainstream music since she filed her lawsuit against Dr. Luke in 2014. Prior to Saturday's court decision, Sony had offered Kesha to work with another producer. However, this was a faulty promise at best, because Dr. Luke is one of Sony's top-perfuming producers. Kesha feared that if she would switch to another Sony producer, her music wouldn't be marketed appropriately due to her accusations. As a result, she wanted a clean break from Sony and Dr. Luke or, at least, formal legal permission to work with someone else while this lawsuit was settled. As of now, however, her musical career is suffering tremendously because she cannot promote or release new music without Dr. Luke. In the same article, Gardner quoted Kesha as saying, "'I know I cannot work with Dr. Luke. I physically cannot... I don't feel safe in any way.'"
Although I cannot say I am or ever was a fan of Kesha's music, I will say that I stand by her as a fellow woman. She is being subjected to the worst kind of victimization, and it is just wrong. She's brave for having come out and denounced her assailant, and it is shameful that, instead of applauding her, people are basically calling her a liar.
Luckily for Kesha, and really just all of decent humanity, she isn't alone. Other musical artists like Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and Lorde have taken to Twitter and other social media to voice their support for her and their collective outrage.
Notwithstanding her injunction plea, Kesha is sure to be suffering potentially disastrous personal and emotional trauma from this event. How would you feel if someone told you your tormentor was in the right and you couldn't do anything about it? Not to mention, she cannot even move forward with her music, because her contract's validity depends on their musical collaboration. It is safe to say that Kesha is both at a professional and emotion standstill, and it is entirely unwarranted and unfair.
The legal system needs to wake up and realize it is in the wrong.
#FreeKesha
