A Manhattan judge has ruled that Dr. Luke's New York lawsuit against the 'TiK ToK' singer will not be dismissed.
- Jun 18, 2015
AceShowbiz - Kesha, formerly Ke$ha, must come to New York to battle it out with Dr. Luke over allegations that the music producer drugged and raped her, a Manhattan judge ruled on Wednesday, June 17. Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich, who previously ruled that Kesha's California lawsuit should move ahead Dr. Luke's New York lawsuit, said she would not dismiss Dr. Luke's lawsuit.
Daniel Petrocelli, a lawyer for Kesha's manager Jack Rovner, argued in Manhattan court that Jack and his company Vector Management should be dismissed from the case, claiming that the manager was only doing his job when he told Kesha to keep away from recording dates in Dr. Luke's studio. "We're collateral damage caught in the crossfire between Kesha and Dr. Luke," Daniel said.
Shirley postponed a decision on Daniel's request but ruled that Dr.Luke's can now proceed.
Shirley's decision was made after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Barbara Scheper put Kesha's case proceeding on hold because Kesha's contract with Dr. Luke requires her to settle their differences in New York courts unless she can prove they should not.
Barbara wrote on Friday, "Although plaintiff does not allege any cause of action for breach of contract she certainly does implicate the contracts and indeed asks the court to void them," adding that Kesha's claims for sexual harassment and gender violence were predicated in her relationship with Dr. Luke.
Kesha's lawyers attempted to avoid the outcome by arguing that her publishing and recording contracts with Dr. Luke should be voided because she didn't freely enter into them, but Barbara found the 28-year-old songstress had provided "no evidence to support her assertion that the agreements were not entered into freely or voluntarily as a result of arm's length negotiations."
