Kesha and Dr. Luke resolve years-long legal dispute

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

(CNN) — Kesha and producer Dr. Luke, whose legal name is Lukasz Gottwald, announced on Thursday that they’ve “agreed to a resolution” regarding the years-long legal dispute they’ve been embroiled in since 2014.

Posting the same statements on their respective verified Instagram pages, Kesha and Gottwald said that they have “agreed to issue and post a joint statement regarding that resolution.”

“Only god knows what happened that night,” Kesha’s statement began, continuing to say “As I have always said, I cannot recount everything that happened. I am looking forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one. I wish nothing but peace to all parties involved.”

Gottwald’s statement read, “While I appreciate Kesha again acknowledging that she cannot recount what happened that night in 2005, I am absolutely certain that nothing happened.”

“I never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone. For the sake of my family, I have vigorously fought to clear my name for nearly 10 years. It is time for me to put this difficult matter behind me and move on with my life,” his statement continued to say, ending with “I wish Kesha well.”

The singer had been engaged in a long back-and-forth legal battle with Gottwald, stemming from a 2014 lawsuit she filed against him seeking to get out of her recording contract and alleging he drugged, emotionally abused and sexually assaulted her.

Gottwald has long denied those claims, and filed a countersuit citing defamation and breach of contract against the “TiK ToK” singer the same year.

The legal proceedings prompted the #FreeKesha movement on social media, with fans and advocates calling for the singer’s release from her existing contract with Gottwald and his Kemosabe Records.

In 2016, a judge ultimately denied Kesha’s request to be released from her contract. She has released three albums since then, including her fifth studio album “Gag Order” released in May.

The settlement announced Thursday comes after a recent court ruling that presented new challenges for Gottwald to succeed in his defamation lawsuit at trial, according to Reuters.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.