Kesha's legal battle for independence has been waging since 2014, and documents obtained by E! News show that the singer faced another roadblock. On 26th September, her third countersuit against producer Dr. Luke was denied due to the fact that it was "palpably insufficient and devoid of merit."
Kesha first sued her producer for sexual assault and battery five years ago this month. Dr. Luke swiftly countersued for defamation and breach of contract, and Kesha dropped her claims in California and in New York in 2016. The producer's countersuit, however, still looms, and Kesha's repeated attempts to fight back in court have yet to stick.
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Reps for Kesha and Dr. Luke did not immediately respond to Refinery29's request for comment, but fellow musicians have publicly aligned themselves with the "Praying" singer. Kelly Clarkson revealed she refused to work with the producer due to her own negative experiences, and Lady Gaga testified on Kesha's behalf.
"There are people all over the world who love you @KeshaRose," Lady Gaga tweeted in 2016. "And I can say truly I am in awe of your bravery."
There are people all over the world who love you @KeshaRose. And I can say truly I am in awe of your bravery.
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 19, 2016
On Friday, following news of the denied countersuit, Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds pledged to boycott the producer until Kesha is released from her contract.
"I pledge to never work with Dr. Luke unless he drops his lawsuit against @KeshaRose and releases her of any contracts she has with him (publishing etc)," he wrote on Twitter. "I ask all artists in our industry to make this same pledge.”
I pledge to never work with Dr. Luke unless he drops his lawsuit against @KeshaRose and releases her of any contracts she has with him (publishing etc)
— Dan Reynolds (@DanReynolds) October 10, 2019
I ask all artists in our industry to make this same pledge. Please tweet about it and tag #boycottdrluke #FreeKesha
So far, he is the only major artist to make the pledge in the wake of the most recent legal decision.