Nearly a year after pop star Ke$ha filed claims against her producer, Dr. Luke, her career remains at a standstill with no sign of it letting up.
After completing her program in rehab, Ke$ha came out claiming Dr. Luke had been raping her and feeding her drugs since she signed with him a decade ago. Soon after, he filed suit against her, stating she made up the charges to get out of her contract and is suing her for a breach of that contract. These lawsuits keep her from performing, recording and touring, which has ultimately been a detriment to her career.
How does this happen?
If someone claims sexual assault, there is very little stopping the accused from retaliating with suits or, if it gets to trial, putting the victim’s personal life choices on the stand to discredit the claim. This is a primary factor in why victims elect not to report their assaults. Most victims fear being blamed, berated and accused of lying, only to be told their offender won’t be prosecuted.
Going through a he-said, she-said lawsuit with claims as intense and emotional as these is hard for anyone, but doing it in the spotlight is another issue entirely. Every move she makes and word she says is thoroughly recorded, printed, and open to scrutiny; everything Ke$ha has ever said about Dr. Luke is only a magazine clipping away: an inconvenience most of us wouldn’t have to deal with.
On the other hand, people have come together in an online campaign to raise awareness for Ke$ha’s predicament and fight for justice. They created the hashtag “#FreedomForKesha” which didn’t take long to start trending all over social media. The overwhelming support Ke$ha has received is the kind that victims everywhere need to experience.
