Dr. Luke, the mastermind behind certain smash hits from Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne, and Ke$ha, have been embroiled in a fierce legal battle for over a year. Ke$ha accused the music producer of a multitude of charges including sexual misconduct, battery, rape, and abuse. Moreover, Ke$ha largely blamed Dr. Luke for her troubles that resulted in her entering a treatment facility at the end of 2013. Dr. Luke has countersued for defamation and argued that Ke$ha brought the allegations merely to be released from their recording contract.
Ke$ha’s last album, Warrior, was released in 2012, essentially an eternity ago for someone whose livelihood depends on constant publicity and continually recording and releasing music. Under the terms of their agreement, because Ke$ha refuses to work with Dr. Luke, she has been enjoined from recording, touring, or marketing her merchandise for almost a year. Consequently, in order to resurrect her career, the pop artist is resorting to the courts to free her from the unyielding constraints of her binding agreement with Dr. Luke. Without a court order, Ke$ha is contractually obligated to release any and all singles under the auspices of her alleged abuser.
If Ke$ha is not permitted to resume working immediately with the backing of a major record label, her window of opportunity to reclaim her fame may be forever shut.
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Loren Shokes is an Entertainment Highlight Contributor for the Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law and a current second year student at Harvard Law School (Class of 2017).
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