On Wednesday, March 9, The Wrap reported that Sony would allegedly soon be dropping Dr. Luke (real name: Lukasz Gottwald) as one of its music producers. Soon after, in a statement released to Entertainment Weekly, Dr. Luke's attorney denied the claim. It reads as follows:
This is not true. Luke has an excellent relationship with Sony. His representatives are in regular contact with executives at the highest levels at Sony and this has never come up.
Upon request for comment regarding The Wrap's report, Sony told Bustle "no comment."
The Wrap reported that "knowledgeable individuals" got word that Sony would be cutting ties with the producer "a year ahead of his contract's expiration." The Wrap also reported that another source, described as an "individual familiar with upper management's thinking," claimed, "There is no contest. Kesha has no case in regards to her contract but they can’t afford the Adeles of the world out in the streets calling the label unsupportive. The fact that this hasn’t already been taken care of with Luke is confusing, especially for people in the building."
This report comes in light of an ongoing legal battle between Dr. Luke and Kesha, after the 29-year-old singer sought to break her contract with the producer. However, on Feb. 19, a New York-based judge ruled against an injunction that would allow Kesha to break her contract with Sony, the record label with which she worked with Dr. Luke.
In October 2014, Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke claiming he raped her when she was 18 years old and sexually abused her. Dr. Luke has repeatedly denied these accusations and has countersued Kesha for defamation.
After the judge's ruling in February, Dr. Luke's attorney released a statement to Rolling Stone , reading:
The New York County Supreme Court on Friday found that Kesha is already "free" to record and release music without working with Dr. Luke as a producer if she doesn’t want to. Any claim that she isn’t "free" is a myth ...
As Dr. Luke has said repeatedly, the allegations against him are outright lies that have been advanced to extort a contract renegotiation and money. Kesha and her counsel have cavalierly subjected Dr. Luke and his family to trial by Twitter, using a vicious smear campaign to ruin his reputation for financial gain while failing to support their claims… It will further be shown that the incidents alleged never happened.
In October 2014, Kesha's lawyer released the following statement to Billboard when she sued the producer:
This lawsuit is a wholehearted effort by Kesha to regain control of her music career and her personal freedom after suffering for ten years as a victim of mental manipulation, emotional abuse and sexual assault at the hands of Dr. Luke. The facts presented in our lawsuit paint a picture of a man who is controlling and willing to commit horrible acts of abuse in an attempt to intimidate an impressionable, talented, young female artist into submission for his personal gain. Kesha is focused on moving her life and her career beyond this terrible time.
As for Sony, an attorney for the company told the New York Times in February:
Sony has made it possible for Kesha to record without any connection, involvement or interaction with Luke whatsoever, but Sony is not in a position to terminate the contractual relationship between Luke and Kesha. Sony is doing everything it can to support the artist in these circumstances, but is legally unable to terminate the contract to which it is not a party.
