Kesha Loses Another Round in Legal Battle With Dr. Luke, Sony

Judge rejects singer’s claim that she was subjected to a hate crime

kesha dr. luke

This is probably starting to sound like a broken record for Kesha.

After the star lost a bid to free herself from her contract with Sony earlier this year, a court sided with Sony and her producer/alleged abuser Dr. Luke on Wednesday, shooting down a number of her allegations.

In an order handed down in New York Supreme Court, Judge Shirley Werner Kornreich dismissed a number of the singer’s contentions, including that she was subjected to a hate crime by Dr. Luke.

In Wednesday’s order, Kornreich shot down the singer’s claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress, due to the statute of limitations. The judge also said that the singer failed to state a claim regarding alleged incidents in 2005 and 2008, noting, “The claims of insults about her value as an artist, her looks and her weight are insufficient to constitute extreme, outrageous conduct intolerable in civilized society.”

Kesha’s claim that she was discriminated against because of her gender was also dismissed, on jurisdictional grounds. The court found that the singer “failed to plead that any of the alleged discrimination occurred in New York State or City.”

As for the singer’s hate crime claim, the judge declared, “Although [Dr. Luke’s] alleged actions were directed to Kesha, who is female,” Kesha (full name: Kesha Rose Sebert) did “not allege that [Dr.Luke] harbored animus toward women or was motivated by gender animus when he allegedly behaved violently toward Kesha. Every rape is not a gender-motivated hate crime.”

Kesha is suing her producer Dr. Luke, claiming that he sexually and emotionally abused her. The producer, who has not been criminally charged, has denied the allegations.

She also added Sony to the lawsuit, contending that the company “had knowledge of Dr. Luke treating female entertainers under his tutelage and supervision in the same manner as alleged here regarding Ms. Sebert, which includes both physical and emotional abuse.”

In February, a judge denied her request for an injunction that would have allowed her to record outside of her contract. The judge said that she could record under her Sony contract with another producer.
While Kesha has been unsuccessful in court, the singer has enjoyed a groundswell of support from fans and fellow artists alike, with artists such as Adele and Lady Gaga expressing their solidarity with her.

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