Kesha says her career is doomed if lawsuit against Dr. Luke remains unresolved

Kesha will play three nights at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Sept. 25, 2015 5:02 AM PT

Kesha’s career is “effectively over” so long as the litigation between the pop star and her producer remains unresolved, according to a preliminary injunction filed by the artist.

The singer is making a push for a judge to take action in the 2014 suit against her former producer, Dr. Luke, who she accused of physically and sexually abusing her for years.

In the new filing, Kesha’s attorney, celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos, notes that due to the singer-songwriter still being locked into her contract with the producer and Sony Music, her “brand value has fallen.” If the court doesn’t do something soon, her career will plummet “past the point of no return,” Geragos says.

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Former Chief Executive of Universal Music Jim Urie, who filed an affidavit supporting her claims said the singer’s window of opportunity is nearly shut. “She has not been recording, touring, or able to market merchandise for nearly a year -- an eternity in the industry,” he said. “If Kesha cannot immediately resume recording ... her career is effectively over.”

Kesha rose to pop stardom with boozy party anthems such as “Tik Tok,” “Your Love Is My Drug” and “Die Young,” with Dr. Luke behind those hits -- and dozens more from Britney Spears, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson and others. The singer, who hasn’t released new material since 2013, stunned the pop world last October when she filed suit against the superstar platinum producer, who was her longtime partner.

In the 28-page suit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Kesha (born Kesha Rose Sebert) alleges a decade of sexual, physical and mental abuse by the producer that ultimately led to a struggle with an eating disorder and a stint in rehab that sidelined her career.

According to her account, on one occasion, “Dr. Luke instructed Ms. Sebert to take what he described as ‘sober pills.’ ... Ms. Sebert took the pills and woke up the following afternoon, naked in Dr. Luke’s bed, sore and sick with no memory of how she got there.” The suit continues with similar, detailed claims dating back to when she was 18 and first in L.A.

Kesha’s mother is also suing him, claiming he’s caused her to suffer post traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Luke, in turn, responded with a suit against Kesha along with her mother and her management, claiming defamation and breach of contract.

He alleged that they were using outlandish claims to extort money and get out of her recording and publishing contract. The producer also claimed settlement talks had been in place before their lawsuits.

Earlier this summer, Kesha expanded her suit to include Sony Music, which houses Luke’s Kemosabe Records imprint where she’s signed to a six-album deal (she is also contracted to Luke’s music publishing company, Prescription Songs). She claimed the label “failed to take any corrective action, or actively concealed Dr. Luke’s abuse.”

The revised suit also blamed Sony Music for allowing the producer to continue harming her career by not doing anything about him or his countersuit.

In an interview with the Daily Beast earlier this week after fans started a #FreedomForKesha campaign on Twitter, Geragos likened Dr. Luke to disgraced comedian Bill Cosby, calling him “vindictive and evil.”

“He used her, abused her, and that’s how he operates,” Geragos said. “Ask anybody who’s ever worked with him throughout all this litigation. I defy you to find one artist who has come to his defense.”

But the producer’s attorney, Christine Lepera, said the singer’s stalled career and legal woes are “entirely of her making.”

“We are confident this motion will be denied because it is without merit. Kesha continues to make the same false claims of abuse against Dr. Luke she testified never happened under penalty of perjury. As with all pleadings in this case, her affidavit is vague and unsubstantiated, with pivotal details such as dates fudged, and notably fails to address her unequivocal prior sworn testimony to the contrary,” Lepera said in a statement.

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