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Some Good News for Kesha in Her Battle Against Dr. Luke

Let’s hope today is the beginning of the end of Kesha’s horrendous year and a half legal battle. The dispute between Kesha and her legendary producer, Dr. Luke, began when Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke for rampant abuse, citing one instance in which he allegedly drugged and raped her.

Dr. Luke then counter-sued for defamation against Kesha, her mother, Pebe Sebert (songwriter), and her manager, Jack Rovner. Judge after judge has since pushed court dates back leaving Kesha at a standstill. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Kesha’s lawyer Mark Geragos filed for an injunction claiming:

Until this Court rules on the declaratory judgment claim, Kesha is at an impasse. She cannot work with music producers, publishers, or record labels to release new music. With no new music to perform, Kesha cannot tour. Off the radio and stage and out of the spotlight, Kesha cannot sell merchandise, receive sponsorships, or get media attention. Her brand value has fallen, and unless the Court issues this injunction, Kesha will suffer irreparable harm, plummeting her career past the point of no return.

As is with most lawsuits, the way the system is set up is to completely drain all participants. For Kesha, this is her livelihood. For a judge and the lawyers involved, this is just another case in their workload and another number on their docket.

While feet have been dragged, Kesha has been anxiously awaiting the return of independence and the freedom to make new music. Having been barred from creating new music through her existing contract with Dr. Luke and his label, the music industry has almost entirely turned its back on her. Last weekend, she posted the first video of herself singing in who knows how long:

In what one can only continue to hope is the beginning of a snowball effect in the singer’s favor, a New York state judge dropped the suit filed by Dr. Luke against Sebert:

The judge ruled Wednesday in Sebert’s favor, saying there was no jurisdiction over her in New York.

That’s a start. It’s important because had Dr. Luke’s suit been accepted, Sebert would stand to lose her songwriting credit from Kesha and Pitbull’s hit, “Timber,” and bar her from collecting any of the royalties from the song.

Additionally, the judge tossed out Dr. Luke’s lawsuit against her manager. The producer claimed Rovner had “longstanding antipathy” toward him and was trying to intervene to gain more money and control over Kesha’s career. The court ruled on Wednesday that, personal feelings aside, Rovner has not acted outside the scope of his authority.

While Kesha still stands to be sued by Dr. Luke in a similar suit in Tennessee, this is good news. Kesha’s next court date is in two weeks on February 19th. At this hearing, Kesha will be vying for the right via injunction to create and release her own music without any association with Dr. Luke or his label.

And together we say, good luck, Kesha.

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