Kesha’s contract with Sony, Dr. Luke likened to slavery, appeal argues

Kesha’s legal team has reportedly filed to appeal a judge’s decision that keeps her tied to her contract with Sony Music producer Dr. Luke, whom she has accused of sexually assaulting her.

The 29-year-old “Tik Tok� singer reportedly filed paperwork on Monday seeking to overturn Judge Shirley Kornreich’s February decision to keep her bound to her Sony contract, which requires her to continue working with Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald. Kesha’s attorney argued that forcing her to execute the remainder of the contract amounted to modern-day slavery.

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Kornreich had decided against issuing an injunction that would release the pop star from her contract because it would cause “irreparable harm� to the record labels involved, despite Sony pledging to let the singer work with other producers, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

In the appeal filed in a Manhattan appellate court, Kesha’s attorney, Mark Geragos, argued that the court “erred in basing its decision on its finding that Kesha could record without interference from Gottwald. Although it recognized that ‘slavery was done away with a long time ago’ and that ‘[y]ou can’t force someone to work ... in a situation in which they don’t want to work,’ the Court’s ruling requiring Kesha to work for Gottwald’s companies, purportedly without his involvement, does just that.�

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Kesha, real name Kesha Rose Sebert, has been unable to record music without the producer, and her career has essentially been on hiatus since the allegations against Dr. Luke surfaced, which Geragos argued could destroy a budding music career.

The attorney said that the singer submitted affidavits by industry veterans, “each of whom attested to the fact that a young star’s fame will fade quickly, and permanently, due to a loss of momentum.�

Dr. Luke has denied the singer’s accusations of rape and abuse and contends that the singer is just pushing for a more lucrative deal, according to Buzzfeed

“The Court repeatedly stated Kesha was already free to record without Dr. Luke, and that she had not presented any facts supporting her claims,� a spokesperson for Dr. Luke told the website. “That’s because all the evidence — including Kesha’s own sworn testimony— show her allegations are false. Her attorneys can continue manufacturing even more false and outrageous claims, but the fact remains that her time would be better spent in a studio than wasting time having her lawyer and mother spin lies in the media.�

The “Timber� singer could still get out of her contract with the record label if the case goes to trial, TMZ said.

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