Kesha has been in the public eye more than ever as her legal battle against alleged abuser Dr. Luke (real name Lukasz Gottwald) continues. Recently, she accepted a human rights award. But before that, a judge denied her motion to be released from her Sony contract.
Although her case won’t officially be heard until 2017, she’s appealed that decision. E! News obtained her appeal, which likens her contractual status to slavery. The appeal reads:
"First, the Court erred in basing its decision on its finding that Kesha could record without interference from Gottwald. Although it recognized that 'slavery was done away with a long time ago" and that '[y]ou can't force someone to work...in a situation in which they don't want to work,' the Court's ruling requiring Kesha to work for Gottwald's companies, purportedly without his involvement, does just that. As the Court itself recognized, '[i]t's slavery. You can't do that.'"
Kesha’s legal team further contends that, despite the judge’s contention, irreparable harm has been done to her career. According to E! News, they cite "affidavits by individuals with over 100 years of collective personal experience in the music industry" in order to show that "a young pop star's fame will fade quickly, and permanently, due to a loss of momentum. Indeed, New York courts have found irreparable harm to the careers of young musicians like Kesha where those careers are fleeting and in danger of destruction if not timely pursued."
Dr. Luke’s attorneys have taken a different tack than their previous policy of more or less media silence.
"The Court repeatedly stated Kesha was 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 sworn testimony—show her allegations are false. Her attorneys can continue manufacturing even more false and outrageous claims, but the fact remains that her time would be better spent in a studio than wasting time having her lawyer and mother spin lies in the media," they wrote in a statement to E! News.
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