Kesha has announced that a “resolution” has been made between her and producer Dr Luke after an extended legal battle.
The singer had in 2014 accused her former collaborator of raping and drugging her as well as sexually assaulting Katy Perry, leading to a defamation suit aimed against her. Perry denied the claim.
Before the trial was set to begin next month, a joint statement has now been released.
“Only God knows what happened that night,” Kesha wrote in the statement shared on Instagram. “As I always said, I cannot recount everything that happened. I am looking forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one. I wish nothing but peace to all parties involved.”
Dr Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, has continued to deny the claims made by the singer.
“While I appreciate Kesha again acknowledging that she cannot recount what happened that night in 2005,” his statement reads, “I am absolutely certain that nothing happened. I never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone. For the sake of my family, I have vigorously fought to clear my name for nearly 10 years. It is time for me to put this difficult matter behind me and move on with my life. I wish Kesha well.”
Kesha claimed that over a 10-year period Gottwald had sexually and emotionally abused her, with her lawyer calling the producer someone “willing to commit horrible acts of abuse in an attempt to intimidate an impressionable, talented, young female artist into submission for his personal gain”. She said he repeatedly drugged and assaulted her with the abuse leading to an eating disorder.
He countersued at the time with his lawyer calling it part of “a campaign of publishing outrageous and untrue statements”.
Her case was dismissed in 2016, and in 2020 a judge ruled that she had defamed Gottwald with her assertion that he had assaulted Perry.
“Sometimes I’m incredibly happy, and then sometimes I have panic attacks,” Kesha said in a May interview with the Guardian to promote her new album Gag Order. “That’s the truth. I’ve been so sick of pretending everything is all good.”
Specific details about the settlement are unknown.
