Sony Music cut ties with Dr. Luke amid Kesha abuse claims

In October 2014, we were all left suitably stunned when Kesha came forward and accused music producer Dr. Luke, real name Lukasz Gottwald, of emotional and sexual abuse, spanning 10 years.

Amid allegations of Dr. Luke’s “suffocating control”, “degrading insults”, and denying her profit from her work, Kesha also claimed that he had once forced her to take a date-rape drug before taking advantage of her.

The star was unable to produce any music away from Dr. Luke under her contract with Sony and went to court in a bid to win the right to work away from him, a court case that she lost.

Meanwhile, Dr. Luke filed defamation claims against Kesha, alleging that the huge social media campaign around the ‘Free Kesha’ movement had had a hugely negative effect on his personal and professional life.

Back in January, Kesha’s legal team filed a petition arguing that she should be released from her contract with the producer, stating: “You can get a divorce from an abusive spouse. You can dissolve a partnership if the relationship becomes irreconcilable.

“The same opportunity – to be liberated from the physical, emotional, and financial bondage of a destructive relationship – should be available to a recording artist.”

However, a New York Supreme Court Justice denied the star’s request.

Just last week, the legal battle between the two continued to rumble on, with Kesha filing a notice of appeal on a nixed bid to impose California’s seven-year limit in a personal service contract, and just days later it has been revealed that Sony have seemingly cut ties with Dr. Luke.

It appears that the 43-year-old producer will no longer act as the CEO of Kemosabe Records, which he founded with Sony back in 2011, with court documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter reading: “Lukasz Gottwald is no longer the CEO of Kemosabe Records and does not have authority to act on its behalf.”

An insider added to The New York Post’s Page Six column that his contract with Sony ended last month but, apparently, he is still in communication with Sony as a wider company.

They explained: “His contract expired at the end of March so he is no longer CEO (of Kemosabe) but he still has a relationship with Sony.”

However, another source told The Hollywood Reporter that Sony and Dr. Luke are in the process of negotiating a split, with Sony seemingly eager to distance themselves from the controversial artist.

As well as not renewing his contract as CEO of Kemosabe, Sony have also taken down an entire page dedicated to Dr. Luke from their website.

Although this should be a victory for Kesha, fans of the singer have been warned that this could actually make her situation even worse; the star will no longer have Sony as a “go-between”, leaving her forced to deal directly with Dr. Luke.

Similarly, his dismissal from Sony could be used in Dr. Luke’s defamation case as he continues to gather evidence on how Kesha’s allegations affected his career.

In short, the ‘Free Kesha’ movement is far from over and we have a sad feeling that things might get worse before they start to get any better.

Read more:

[ Dr. Luke accuses Kesha of pulling a publicity stunt ]

[ Lady Gage defends Kesha: ‘She’s being very publicly shamed’ ]

[ Ariana Grande defends Kesha: ‘A male artist wouldn’t be in this position’ ]