Kesha has filed a disturbing lawsuit against music producer Dr. Luke, claiming he was sexually, physically and verbally abusive during the decade-long period they have worked together — and that his behavior led to her eating disorders.
The singer was abused “to the point where [she] nearly lost her life,” the suit alleges.
“The facts presented in our lawsuit paint a picture of a man who is controlling and willing to commit horrible acts of abuse in an attempt to intimidate an impressionable, talented, young female artist into submission for his personal gain,” Kesha’s attorney, Mark Geragos, told Page Six in a statement. “Kesha is focused on moving her life and her career beyond this terrible time.”
Luke’s twisted behavior began almost immediately after she signed with him at 18, when he was nearly 15 years her senior. Drugs and alcohol played a role in his alleged advances.
In one incident described in Kesha’s suit, Luke (real name Lukasz Gottwald) “continuously” forced himself on Kesha after making her snort an illicit drug before boarding a plane with him. She also claims he force-fed her what he dubbed “sober pills” after the two had been drinking together. After taking them, Kesha woke up the next afternoon naked. The suit claims the “sober pills” were actually GHB, the date-rape drug.
TMZ first reported news of the suit.
Kesha, whose real name is Kesha Rose Sebert, is suing Luke claiming sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment and emotional distress, among other claims. She is seeking to have her contract voided with Luke, who has also worked with Miley Cyrus and Rihanna.
According to TMZ, Luke has fired back at Kesha, filing his own lawsuit claiming she attempted to extort him by threatening to spread lies unless he let her out of her recording contract. He is denying the abuse allegations.
Kesha’s lawyer said Luke’s suit has “absolutely no basis in fact, the law or reality.”
“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. … 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,” Geragos told Page Six.
Kesha, 27, says the abuse prompted her eating disorders, which she sought treatment for earlier this year, claiming in her suit that he told her, among other insults, “You are not that pretty, you are not that talented, you are just lucky to have me,” and “You are nothing without me.”
Upon seeking help for her eating disorders, Kesha said Luke, 41, reportedly called her a “fat f—–g refrigerator,” according to TMZ.
As for physical abuse, the producer once attacked the “Tik Tok” singer at his Malibu home, the suit claims. She escaped, barefoot, and hid in the mountains.
“This lawsuit is a wholehearted effort by Kesha to regain control of her music career and her personal freedom after suffering for 10 years as a victim of mental manipulation, emotional abuse and an instance of sexual assault at the hands of Dr. Luke,” Geragos said.
A request for comment from Luke’s rep was not immediately returned.