Entertainment

Dr. Luke Says Kesha's Claims In Her Latest Instagram Are A 'Publicity Stunt'

by Eitan Levine
David McNew/Reuters

Hours after Kesha claimed she was offered her “freedom” if she retracted rape accusations against Dr. Luke, a spokesperson for the music producer released a statement saying Kesha's claims were nothing more than “publicity stunts” made to advance her career.

Kesha may have shed some incredibly disturbing light on her struggles with Sony and Kemosabe Records on Sunday through her Instagram post, which said she was offered her “freedom” as long as she issued a public apology to Dr. Luke and retracted her claims she was raped.

The full caption from the post reads,

so. I got offered my freedom IF i were to lie. 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.

In February, a Manhattan court ruled against the 29-year-old singer's attempt to cut contract ties with Sony over accusations she had been verbally, physically and sexually assaulted by Dr. Luke during her 10-year career.

In a statement issued to Rolling Stone hours after Kesha's post on Sunday, a spokesperson for Dr. Luke denied claims of a secret deal being offered to the pop singer, saying,

The Court repeatedly stated Kesha is 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 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.

Sony went on record saying it is unable to let Kesha out of her contract because she is technically under Kemosabe Records and not Sony itself.

There were reports Sony planned on cutting ties with Dr. Luke before his contract ends in 2017, but Dr. Luke claims this isn't the case and his relationship with Sony records is as strong as ever.

Citations: Dr Luke says Kesha's recent claim she was asked to lie in court is a publicity stunt (The Guardian)