As it’s been all over the news and social media, chances are you’ve heard of Kesha’s lawsuit against her producer, Dr. Luke. The lawsuit began in 2014 when Kesha sued Dr. Luke in hopes to void their contracts due to Kesha saying she was “sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused to the point where she nearly lost her life.” The legal complaint also states that the music producer took her to the beach to have a private talk, then “threatened that if she ever mentioned the rape to anyone, he would shut her career down, take away all her publishing and recording rights, and destroy not only her own life but her entire family’s as well.” Dr. Luke followed her footsteps in a countersuit.
Recently, on February 19th, a New York judge denied a court injunction that would have allowed Kesha to produce music outside of her contract with Dr. Luke, who works for Sony. The contract she tried to get out of legally binds Kesha to making multiple new albums with Dr. Luke before her contract can end. In court as the injunction was denied, Kesha was seen sobbing. As the case has passed Kesha is required to work with Sony until the agreements of her contract are fulfilled.
Kesha states that the abuse began when she was around 18 and had just began working with Dr. Luke when he began to make sexual advances on her. She has confessed that she once woke up naked in his bed after he had given her “sober pills”, which she later learned was some sort of date rape drug. The allegations against Dr. Luke are horrifying. The court ruled that there was not enough evidence given to support Kesha’s case, so it was denied. Not only is it terrifying that a famous woman is not taken seriously within her allegations, but the fact that as clearly as uncomfortable as she has shown to be, the court is still forcing Kesha to work with Sony.
The judge of the case, Shirley Kornreich is supposedly still looking into the accounts of sexual, physical, and emotional assault Kesha experienced but is not allowing her out of her contract with Sony. Once Dr. Luke gave his argument that he invested $60 million into Kesha’s career and that he would allow her to record with Sony without his involvement, the judge told Kesha that that evidence “decimates her argument” and “my instinct is to do the commercially responsible thing”. So, the money this man invested in Kesha is deemed more important than her safety and well-being? Insanity.
Simply put, the legal system has failed Kesha. If a woman with fame such as Kesha won’t be respected when it comes to allegations of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, how can any average woman expect their case to be taken seriously? Many people are afraid to come out against their abusers, and this lawsuit shows that the legal system may completely fail them. This is not okay. It’s past time that women are taken seriously. Kesha stood up for herself and was not given the justice she deserves.
Some people have said that due to Kesha’s past of partying, with songs having lyrics such as “brush my teeth with a bottle of jack”, means that she shouldn’t been given a chance or taken seriously. That is ridiculous, and her producer wrote those lyrics anyways! Despite anyone’s reputation or actions in the past, sexual and mental abuse should be taken seriously when in suit against anyone- famous or not.
Celebrities such as Adele, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Lorde have all stood behind her as well as the public. Using the hashtag #FreeKesha and #SonySupportsRape, people whether fans or not are showing their support and love for Kesha. All Kesha wants is to escape from this man who has abused her, and whom she deeply fears and to be allowed to continue her passion of making music. The most ridiculous part is that it’s not necessarily about whether the allegations are true or not. The fact the Sony is forcing Kesha to continue working with a man she has declared extreme discomfort and fear working with is despicable, and no one should be forced into remaining in that sort of situation. The legal system needs to seriously examine the way they go about sexual and emotional abuse cases, and take women’s allegations seriously. Lives and safety of women everywhere are at stake, and no one deserves to go through this.
In the past few days, rumors have circulated that Sony might drop Dr. Luke from their company. While this is a sigh-of-relief, it should have happened the once reports began to come out. It shouldn’t have taken multiple hashtags or celebrities donating money and time. It should have happened. A woman’s life is more important than a song she sings.