Kesha is once again speaking out about her ongoing legal battle against Dr. Luke.
The singer posted a photo to Instagram on Sunday and wrote that even though a judge denied her request for a preliminary injunction against Dr. Luke and Sony, she will not apologize for accusing Dr. Luke of sexual assault.
“So. I got offered my freedom IF i were to lie,” Kesha wrote. “I would have to APOLOGIZE publicly and say that I never got raped. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS behind closed doors. I will not take back the TRUTH. I would rather let the truth ruin my career than lie for a monster ever again.”
Kesha first filed a complaint against Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, in 2014, and alleged the producer had “sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused” her. Dr. Luke has repeatedly denied those allegations. “I didn’t rape Kesha and I have never had sex with her,” Dr. Luke wrote on Twitter in February. “Kesha and I were friends for many years and she was like my little sister.” At the time, Dr. Luke also added, “Kesha has denied under oath the horrible allegations now being made against me,” and linked to screenshots of media coverage of a 2011 testimony.
Dr. Luke has not been charged with a crime related to Kesha’s accusations, and is countersuing for breach of contract and defamation. Luke’s lawyer, Christine Sepera, has said, “Ms. Sebert, who in sworn videotaped testimony from 2011 stated that she had never been sexually abused or drugged by Dr. Luke, is neither a victim nor the appropriate person to be held up as an example for this important issue.”
Kesha had requested a preliminary injunction that would allow her to get out of her contract with Dr. Luke and Sony and record new music, but a judge denied that request in February. On March 21, Kesha filed an appeal in Manhattan Supreme Court challenging the injunction denial.
Sony has said that it would allow Kesha to record under its label without Dr. Luke, but Kesha’s attorney has called that “an elusive promise,” arguing that the company wouldn’t properly promote Kesha’s new music unless she recorded with Dr. Luke.
“Kesha submitted affidavits by individuals with over 100 years of collective personal experience in the music industry, each of whom attested to the fact that a young pop star’s fame will fade quickly, and permanently, due to a loss of momentum,” her attorney wrote.
Dr. Luke’s attorney responded to Kesha’s appeal in a statement to EW, writing at the time, “The Court repeatedly stated Kesha was already free to record without Dr. Luke, and that she had not presented any facts supporting her claims. That’s because all the evidence — including Kesha’s own sworn testimony — show her allegations are false. Her attorneys can continue manufacturing even more false and outrageous claims, but the fact remains that her time would be better spent in a studio than wasting time having her lawyer and mother spin lies in the media.”
Read more about the legal battle between Kesha and Dr. Luke in EW’s explainer of the case.
A spokesperson for Dr. Luke has released a statement in response to Kesha’s latest post:
“The Court repeatedly stated Kesha is already free to record without Dr. Luke, and that she had not presented any facts supporting her claims,” the statement said. ”That’s because all the evidence — including Kesha’s own videotaped sworn testimony — show her allegations are false. The only thing Kesha is not free to do is to continue to lie about Dr. Luke through publicity stunts and outrageous smears, ignoring the fact that by her own free will she went to work and entered into new contracts with Dr. Luke years after this ‘incident’ supposedly happened. Her goal all along has been solely personal enrichment by seeking to break contracts that brought her success and millions so she can enter into more lucrative ones. We look forward to our day in court holding Kesha accountable for her lies.”
