The 'Tik Tok' singer and the record producer released joint statements on the settlement Thursday.
Kesha and Dr. Luke have settled his defamation lawsuit after a contentious, nine-year legal battle. On Thursday, both the "Tik Tok" singer and the record producer released statements saying they had come to a resolution in the case that was set to go to trial in July.
Kesha's legal battle with Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, stems back to October 2014, when the singer accused the producer of drugging and raping her after a 2005 party, as well as abusing her over the course of 10 years.
Her original 2014 lawsuit alleged sexual, physical and emotional abuse and also was a legal attempt to extricate her from her binding music contract.
Dr. Luke countersued the same year, denying the abuse and alleging she defamed him by going public with her claims. Kesha's lawsuit was dismissed in 2016, however, his defamation lawsuit has continued through several appeals and numerous procedural delays slowing down the process up until today.
"Only God knows what happened that night," Kesha wrote in her statement Thursday. "As I always said, I cannot recount everything that happened. I am looking forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one. I wish nothing but peace to all parties involved."
"While I appreciate Kesha again acknowledging that she cannot recount what happened that night in 2005, I am absolutely certain that nothing happened," Dr. Luke said in his statement. "I never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone. For the sake of my family, I have vigorously fought to clear my name for nearly 10 years. It is time for me to put this difficult matter behind me and move on with my life. I wish Kesha well."
The abrupt pre-trial settlement comes 10 days after New York’s appeals court gave Kesha a key victory in the case. Dr. Luke was deemed to be a "public figure," which would make his defamation case more difficult to prove. The appeals court also ruled that if Kesha were to win the case, she could recoup her legal bills.
Dr. Luke gave Kesha her big break in 2008 when he used her vocals on Flo Rida's song, "Right Round," though he neglected to credit her on the song and Kesha claims she has still never been compensated for it. Her subsequent albums, 2010's Animal and 2012's Warrior, were both released under Dr. Luke's label.
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