What did Kesha accuse Dr. Luke of? Lawsuit explored as Katy Perry's Woman’s World causes outrage online

Singer Katy Perry's announcement of her new single, Woman’s World, allegedly produced by Dr. Luke, has stirred a wave of outrage online from pop fans after the decade-long back-and-forth lawsuits between the Grammy-nominated producer and singer Kesha.

Disclaimer: The following article contains mentions of r*pe, s*xual assault, and eating disorders, which may be triggering for some. Readers' discretion is advised.

On June 18, 2024, Katy Perry took to Instagram to post a 15-second snippet of her lipsyncing to her new single, scheduled for release on July 11. The online music encyclopedic website Genius claimed the single was produced by Dr. Luke and Cirkut, however, neither party has confirmed this.

Once news of Dr. Luke allegedly producing Katy Perry's song went viral, the announcement was met with backlash from netizens in light of the Tik Tok singer Kesha suing the producer for allegedly drugging, r*ping, and psychologically tormenting her throughout their working relationship in 2014.

Many pop fans on X were enraged at this supposed collaboration and vowed to not stream the song so it would flop.

"yeah we won't be streaming this one," tweeted one person.

"deserves to flop," added another.

"That's a huge no for me bro," wrote another fan.

Others denounced Katy Perry for allegedly collaborating with Dr. Luke after his r*pe accusations.

"You have to be one of the biggest losers in pop music to go back to the abuser of someone you called your “friend”," one person criticized.

The nerve to call woman’s world a song produced by him," wrote another person.

"Just a reminder, the mental and verbal abuse Dr. Luke inflicted on Kesha was proven in court. Including how he prevented her from eating and starved her to the point she almost died. So bragging that your fav is working with such a misogynistic and dangerous man is nasty work," elaborated another pop fan.

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Kesha and Dr. Luke's lawsuits explored

Kesha first came forward with a lawsuit against Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, in October 2014. The singer claimed in her lawsuit that the producer allegedly gave her the date-r*pe drug GHB at Nicky Hilton’s birthday party at Hollywood Hills, took her back to his hotel room, and “r*ped her while she was unconscious” in October 2005, when she was 18 years old.

Kesha, whose name was previously stylized as Ke$ha, was signed to Dr. Luke's record label, Kasz Money (KMI), and later to his other record label, Kemosabe Records, under the umbrella of Sony Music Entertainment. In 2009, Kesha released her hit solo, Tik Tok, from her debut album, Animal, released in January 2010.

In 2012, a report from the New Yorker described Kesha's professional relationship with Dr. Luke as "strained" as the singer wanted to explore the rock genre while Luke reportedly wanted her to continue down the pop lane. In January 2014, Kesha checked into a Chicago rehab facility for 30 days to treat an eating disorder.

At the rehab, she reportedly told her doctors that the producer s*xually and physically abused her and also drugged her. After her time at rehab, the singer rebranded herself and adopted Kesha, dropping the dollar sign in her name.

On October 14, 2014, she filed the lawsuit against Luke, claiming s*xual assault, battery, s*xual harassment, gender violence, emotional abuse, and long-term emotional and psychological abuse involving fat-shaming.

In the suit, Kesha claimed the producer's treatment left her with “severe depression, post-traumatic stress, social isolation, and panic attacks" and asked that she be released from her record contract with Dr. Luke.

That same day, Dr. Luke filed a countersuit in New York against the singer, her mother, Pebe, and manager Jack Rovner for defamation. He also denied the singer's allegations and accused her of attempting to extort him, adding the singer denied all claims of s*xual abuse by Luke in an unrelated lawsuit in 2011.

Since then, the singer and the producer have engaged in several back-and-forth lawsuits and countersuits involving testimonies or sworn statements from celebrities like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Pink, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and Taio Cruz.

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Kesha and Dr. Luke reached a settlement in June 2023

Kesha and Dr. Luke settled the suit out of court in June 2023, days before a trial was scheduled on July 19 regarding the producer's defamation case.

This came after New York's Court of Appeals ruled him a public figure, which put more pressure on his team to successfully prove he was defamed after Kesha countersued him under a New York law "against bringing frivolous suits to try to intimidate critics into silence."

While the settlement's terms have not been publicized, Kesha and Luke issued a joint statement on social media to announce the deal. In her statement, Kesha said that “only God knows what happened” on the night of the alleged r*pe, adding:

"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."

In his statement, Luke maintained his innocence, writing:

"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. I wish Kesha well."

Kesha's five-album deal with Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Records came to an end with the release of her fifth studio album, Gag Order, in May 2023.