Kesha and Dr. Luke Reach Settlement in Defamation Lawsuit After 9 Years

Kesha has reached an agreement with Dr. Luke in his defamation lawsuit against the singer over rape allegations she made: “Only God knows what happened that night.”

By Alexandra Bellusci Jun 22, 2023 10:56 PMTags
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Kesha is looking ahead to her next chapter in life—and the same goes for Dr. Luke.

Nine years after the "Tik Tok" singer accused the music producer of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2005, the two have "agreed to a resolution" in the defamation suit he filed against her over the allegations, per NBC News.

In a statement of her own, Kesha added, "Only God knows what happened that night, as I have 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," the 36-year-old continued. "I wish nothing but peace to all parties involved."

Dr. Luke also issued a solo statement to mark the settlement, reading, "While I appreciate Kesha again acknowledging she cannot recount what happened that night in 2005, I am absolutely certain that nothing happened."

Asserting that he "never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone," the 49-year-old added, "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."

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Kesha sued Dr. Luke in both Los Angeles and New York in 2014, accusing him of yearslong physical and verbal abuse in addition to the alleged sexual assault. In response, Dr. Luke—whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald—filed a countersuit and accused Kesha of fabricating allegations she was raped in order to be released from her recording contract.

Dr. Luke went on to win his civil case in New York City in 2020, with a judge ruling that Kesha had defamed him when she made "false statements" to Lady Gaga claiming he had raped Katy Perry, according to documents obtained by E! News at the time.

Monica Schipper/Getty Images for iHeartRadio, Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

As the documents outlined, "Perry unequivocally testified that Gottwald did not do so. In response, Kesha has not raised a triable issue. There is no evidence whatsoever that Gottwald raped Katy Perry or that Katy Perry, whose sworn testimony is unrefuted, must not be believed."

The singer was also ordered to pay Dr. Luke and his label, KMI, a "pre-judgment interest of $373,671.88" for breaching her contract.

At the time, Kesha's legal team revealed she planned to appeal the decision.

"Judge Schecter issued rulings today on motions for summary judgment in the Dr. Luke litigation," Kesha's lawyers told E! News in a statement. "We disagree with the Court's rulings. We plan to immediately appeal."

(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)