Kesha’s lawyers have accused Dr. Luke of “obstructing her efforts” at holding their defamation trial on time.
The Tik Tok singer’s legal team submitted a filing on 30 August to a New York judge, claiming producer Dr. Luke, real name Lukasz Gottwald, was stalling proceedings.
The two are scheduled to go to trial on 20 February to settle a defamation suit that the producer filed against Kesha in 2014.
Dr. Luke, 48, sued the 35-year-old singer for defamation after she first sued him, claiming that he knocked her out with an unknown substance and raped her during nearly a decade of alleged abuse. His suit claimed Kesha’s allegations were constructed to extort a better contract from him.
In Kesha’s legal team’s Tuesday filing on the suit, her lawyer Leah Godesky wrote: “Kesha has an overwhelming interest in having the trial proceed as scheduled on February 20, 2023, not only so that she can seek vindication but also so that she can get this ordeal behind her and move on with her life.
“Kesha has accordingly done everything in her power to try to ensure that trial will begin as scheduled, including by seeking to expedite proceedings in the Court of Appeals. Dr. Luke has obstructed her efforts at every turn.”
Kesha’s legal team has two appeals pending to be resolved. Dr. Luke’s lawyers have stated that he is “ready and willing to proceed with the trial” with the appeals still pending, but Kesha’s team warned in their new filing that the decision may result in a re-trial.