Kesha, Dr. Luke Battle Further Involves Lady Gaga

We’ve entered year three of the nasty legal battle between Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald and Kesha and now Lady Gaga has just been (more heavily) involved.

Earlier in the year, it was reported that both Katy Perry and Lady Gaga had been roped into the legal nightmare over some text messages, the contents of which have been restricted to courtroom use only. Now, Gaga is the subject of a new complaint from Gottwald’s camp saying she was given misinformation from Kesha that lead to the further tarnishing of the producers reputation.

The amended complaint alleges Kesha Sebert sent Gaga texts last February saying, “[She] falsely and basely asserted that [she] and another female recording artist … had both been raped by [Dr. Luke].”

Sebert’s team has filed amended counterclaims accusing Dr. Luke of holding a personal vendetta against her, adding “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.”

The next scheduled court appearance will be Sebert’s deposition, February 7th. Dr. Luke’s deposition is set for Valentine’s Day. Then, on February 21st the judge will host a telephone conference.

Pitcfork offers a pretty great recap of the last few years of turmoil between the two, CLICK HERE to see it. To summarize:

October 2014: Kesha sues Gottwald in California accusing him of rape and other abuse; he sues her and her mother in New York for defamation.

February 2016: New York judge denies Kesha an injunction; stops her from pursuing work outside of Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records (Sony Music) which she appeals. *this is the month in which Gaga gets involved via the text messages (mentioned above)*

April 2016: Kesha’s counterclaims against Gottwald are thrown out by New York judge resulting in a legal team overhaul; she also drops the California suit. Kesha’s mother is still facing libel claims in Tennessee.