Kesha sues producer Dr. Luke for alleged abuse, he countersues
Music producer Lukasz Gottwald, aka Dr. Luke, sued singer Kesha Tuesday, following her own lawsuit alleging that he had abused her sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally for a decade.
In court documents obtained by TMZ.com, Kesha -- full name, Kesha Rose Sebert, 27 -- claimed Gottwald made sexual advances and forced her to ingest drugs and alcohol from the time she signed on with him at age 18, the website said Tuesday. She is asking to be let out of her contract.
Gottwald's lawsuit against Kesha, her mother and the singer's new management company claims defamation, breach of contract and other charges, E! News reported. Gottwald's attorney, Christine Lepera, suggested in a statement that his filing was not in response to Kesha's lawsuit but rather to "a campaign of publishing outrageous and untrue statements . . . including scurrilous and false statements of purported physical and mental abuse." Lepera specified, "We understand that Kesha has filed a lawsuit of her own against Dr. Luke, though we have not yet seen it."
Kesha's attorney, Mark Geragos, in response told E! News, "This is just another pathetic and entirely predictable example of Dr. Luke's continued abuse, and a misguided attempt to keep Kesha under his tyrannical control. This lawsuit has absolutely no basis in fact, the law or reality. Kesha is focused on reclaiming her voice and her freedom. She is determined to move on with her life and her career by putting this dark period behind her."
Spokeswomen for Gottwald and Kesha did not respond to Newsday requests for comment.