Kesha Sues Producer Dr. Luke for Sexual Assault and Battery

Lukasz Gottwald is in hot water.

The pop producer best known by his stage name, Dr. Luke, is being sued by Kesha for sexual assault and battery. The singer claims she was sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused by Dr. Luke for 10 years.

According to the lawsuit, Kesha claims Dr. Luke has been abusive towards her ever since she first signed with him at age 18, making sexual advances at her, and then forcing her to use drugs and alcohol in order to lower her resistances against them. Reportedly, Dr. Luke forced her to snort something before getting on a plane, only to force himself on her while she was in a compromised state. Kesha also claims, on another occasion, that Dr. Luke gave her what he called "sober pills" following a night in which he forced her to drink heavily. Afterwards, Kesha allegedly woke up in Dr. Luke's bed, naked, sick, sore, and with no memory of how she ended up there.

It gets worse, as Kesha claims she nearly died from all the abuse, since his psychological torment led to a severe eating disorder. According to the singer, Dr. Luke would often tell her, "You are not that pretty, you are not that talented, you are just lucky to have me." He would even go as far as to call her "a fat f***ing refrigerator." Dr. Luke would later go on to physically assaulted her at his Malibu home, with Kesha noting he was "violently thrashing his arms at her." She escaped by running barefoot down the Pacific Coast Highway, hiding in the mountains to avoid further assault.

"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 an instance of sexual assault at the hands of Dr. Luke," says Mark Geragos, Kesha's lawyer. "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."

Kesha is petitioning the judge to let her out of her contract with Dr. Luke.

My heart really does go out to Kesha here, since this is a pretty nightmarish situation all-around. If even half of it is true, Dr. Luke ought to be facing far worse than a civil suit. I'd imagine his career would be in shambles simply for having a documented history of taking advantage of young, impressionable artists. No amount of hit-making will sweep this under the rug if the allegations are proven true. Writing "Roar", "Since U Been Gone", and "Dynamite" doesn't wipe the slate clean. Or, at the very least, it shouldn't.

Via: TMZ

Credit: ABC