Kesha and Dr. hatch
Monica Schipper/Getty Images; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
Kesha Sebert and her former producer Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald) have been locked in a contentious legal battle between the two coasts for nearly a decade — but they reached an agreement less than a month before the trial.
The settlement ends a legal battle that began in October 2014 with dueling claims; Sebert claimed she was drugged and sexually abused and wanted out of her record deal, while Gottwald claimed the allegation was false and filed suit for defamation and breach of contract.
Kesha posted both statements on her verified Instagram account on Thursday. Hers read: “God only knows what happened that night. As I have always said, I cannot recount everything that happened. I look forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one. I wish only peace to all involved.”
In Dr. Luke’s statement reads: “While I appreciate Kesha that she can no longer tell what happened that night in 2005, I am absolutely certain that nothing happened. I never drugged or assaulted her and I wouldn’t do that to anyone. For the good of my family, I have fought valiantly to clear my name for nearly ten years. It is time for me to put this difficult matter behind me and move on with my life. I wish Kesha all the best.”
As part of their deal, the terms of which have not been released, each of them released both statements.
For nearly nine years, they engaged in heated and closely followed legal battles. At that point, after the lawsuits had been dropped or dismissed by the court, Gottwald’s libel suit was being tried in New York. At the heart of this dispute was whether or not the producer was a public figure, which would raise the bar for a defamation lawsuit to succeed. Earlier this month, the New York City Circuit Court of Appeals reversed an earlier ruling that had found that Gottwald was not a public figure, at least in a legal context. Since that decision was no longer valid, Gottwald would have had to prove that Sebert had indeed acted maliciously—either knowing something was wrong or by saying it with reckless disregard for the truth—when she explained that he was sexually abusing her had.
Sebert is represented by Daniel Petrocelli and Leah Godesky of O’Melveny and Gottwald is represented by Christine Lepera of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp.