Pop star Kesha says she was offered ‘freedom’ to withdraw rape claim against producer
In a furious Instagram post Sunday, embattled pop star Kesha claimed she had been offered “freedom” - presumably from her binding contract with Sony producer Lukasz Gottwald, aka “Dr. Luke” - if she publicly recanted her accusation that he sexually assaulted her.
She made it clear that this offer had outraged her.
“I would have to APOLOGIZE publicly and say that I never got raped,” she wrote in a caption below a solemn, fresh-faced selfie. “I will not take back the TRUTH. I would rather let the truth ruin my career than lie for a monster ever again.”
A photo posted by Kesha (@iiswhoiis) on Apr 3, 2016 at 10:38am PDT
A representative for Dr Luke did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dr Luke has emphatically denied Kesha’s allegations, and no criminal charges have been filed against him.
It was the latest salvo in a battle that has played out as much in social media as it has in the courts. The 28 year-old singer, born Kesha Rose Sebert, sued Dr Luke in October 2014, claiming that he had drugged and raped her and subjected her to years of profound emotional and psychological abuse. She asked that the court release her from a contract that requires her to produce six records with Dr Luke, one of the industry’s top hitmakers and the owner of Sony Music-owned Kemosabe Records. Dr Luke quickly countersued, accusing Kesha of defamation and lying about her claims just to get out of her contract and find a more lucrative deal elsewhere.
Dr Luke defended himself on Twitter in February, saying that he’d never raped or had sex with Kesha.