Kesha has filed an appeal against the February ruling of a judge, which denied the "Tik Tok" singer's request to be released from her contract with Sony and record producer Lukasz Gottwald a.k.a. Dr. Luke.
In 2014, Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke, claiming that he drugged her and sexually, physically and emotionally assaulted her for more than a decade. Dr. Luke denied Kesha's claims and filed a countersuit against the singer for breach of contract and defamation.
Kesha's request for a preliminary injunction to allow her to record music outside of Gottwald's Sony-owned record label was denied by Justice Shirley Kornreich on Feb. 19 and she has now filed an appeal to the New York Supreme Court against Kornreich's decision.
"The court erred in basing its decision on its finding that Kesha could record without interference from Gottwald," Kesha's attorney, Mark Geragos, wrote in the appeal.
"Although it recognized that 'slavery was done away with a long time ago' and that '[y]ou can't 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," he continued.
Kesha's counsel also cited affidavits from "individuals with over 100 years of collective experience in the music industry, each of whom attested to the fact that a young pop star's fame will fade quickly, and permanently, due to a loss of momentum," arguing Kornreich's opinion that Kesha had not suffered irreparable harm to her career
"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," Geragos added.
Dr. Luke's legal team issued the following statement following Kesha's appeal: "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."
