Pop star Kesha Rose Sebert faced her alleged abuser, music producer Dr. Luke, in New York Supreme Court on Friday, and she awaited a ruling that would decide whether she would be released from her recording contract with Dr. Luke's Sony-owned record label, reported The Hollywood Reporter. A judge ruled in Dr. Luke's favor and refused to free Sebert from the contract.
Sebert and her mother, Pebe, brought a lawsuit against Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald) and the "Tik Tok" singer alleged that she suffered sexual, mental and physical abuse while working with the producer since signing her contract with him nearly a decade ago. Sebert sought an injunction to release her from her contract with Gottwald so she could record music outside of Sony because he had sexually abused her and threatened to kill her dog, Spin reported.
"You're asking the court to decimate a contract that was heavily negotiated and typical for the industry," Justice Shirley Kornreich told Sebert's lawyer, Mark Geragos.
Gottwald denied allegations of sexual abuse and claimed Sebert and her mother were out to extort him. Christine Lepera, Gottwald's attorney, said he invested $60 million in Sebert's career and had also agreed to allow her to record without his involvement, and Kornreich told Geragos that information "decimates your argument," according to the Hollywood Reporter. "My instinct is to do the commercially reasonable thing."
Kornreich ruled against the injunction and said Sebert has an option to record music with another producer within the Sony Company, but Geragos said the offer is an "elusive promise."
Sebert broke down in tears in the courtroom when Kornreich delivered her ruling, TMZ reported, and was greeted by a group of fans outside of the courtroom, who gathered in support of the pop star.
See a video of Sebert's fans cheering her on, obtained by TMZ, below.
