Kesha: The Fight Continues

The pop star lost the latest round in her sexual-assault lawsuit against producer Dr. Luke. But she may be winning the war.

- Steve Knopper

For embattled pop star Kesha, a rough day in court turned into an unprecedented moment of global-pop-star solidarity in February, as some of the biggest names in music, from Lady Gaga to Adele, stepped up to support her legal fight against producer Dr. Luke. In the process, her case became bigger than one artist’s career-threatening battle with a producer she alleges raped and mentally abused her over the course of a decade – charges he unequivocally denies.

Artists painted the case as emblematic of the entertainment industry’s – and society’s – treatment of women. “Women in music and film have long been controlled and coerced by abusive Svengalis,” wrote influential Hollywood feminist Lena Dunham, accusing the legal system of “failing to protect [women] from the men they identify as their abusers.”

Kesha was in a Manhattan court on February 19th for a hearing about her lawyers’ request for a legal long shot, a preliminary injunction that would have freed her from contracts with Dr. Luke (born Lukasz Gottwald) and his Sony Music-owned label, Kemosabe, in advance of a trial. A skeptical judge batted aside the motion, noting that Gottwald and Sony had agreed to allow Kesha to record for Kemosabe without having to work directly with him. Kesha’s attorneys argued that Sony was on Gottwald’s side, and would likely allow him to sabotage any new Kesha releases. (Sony insisted that it was equally invested in the success of Kesha and Dr. Luke.)

“My instinct is to do the commercially reasonable thing,” replied the judge, Shirley Werner Kornreich, “and to assume Sony will do what is in its best interest. It’s not in its best interest