Kesha Says Dr. Luke Trial Is Hurting Her Career

The courtroom battle between Kesha and music hit-maker Dr. Luke is heating up. The NY Daily News reports that the pop star has filed for a temporary injunction which would allow her to move forward with her recording career despite Dr. Luke having an exclusive contract on her work. New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich will wait until October 7 to hear arguments on the matter, which could determine whether the singer's career will remain on hold as she and her former producer go to war over allegations that he drugged and raped her. "I cannot work with this monster," Kesha wrote in an affidavit obtained by the newspaper. "So I beg of you to please consider letting me put out my music without me having to work with him, please." Kesha's lawyers are arguing that she "cannot work with music producers, publishers, or record labels to release new music" without the court's say-so. As such, her career is under threat. "Unless the court issues this injunction, Kesha will suffer irreparable harm, plummeting her career past the point of no return," her legal team said. "In the pop music industry, youth and freshness are essential to an artist's success," they added. "[Without an injunction] Kesha will be forced to sit on her hands while the pop music market asks, 'Where is Kesha? What happened to her? Wasn't she supposed to be the next big thing?'" Jim Urie, the president and CEO of Universal Music Group Distribution, also came to her defense. "Kesha's previously blossoming career is currently being stymied by the litigation with Dr. Luke, his record label, and Sony Music Entertainment," Urie said in his statement to the court. "Kesha cannot wait years … to be clear, Kesha's window of opportunity is nearly shut. She has not been recording, touring, or able to market merchandise for nearly a year — an eternity in the industry," he continues. "If Kesha is not permitted to resume working immediately with the backing of a major record label, her window will forever close." According to Dr. Luke's lawyers, however, the singer brought this upon herself by suing their client and accusing him of sexual abuse, which she had previously denied under oath in 2011. "If Kesha now regrets her career being mired in legal proceedings, it’s entirely her making," the producers counsel, Christine Lepera, argued. "It was Kesha who chose to file a lawsuit falsely alleging abuse to gain advantage in contract negotiations, and now she must accept the consequences of her improper actions. "As long as she continues to stand by her false claims of abuse against Dr. Luke and remains in breach of her contracts, he will continue to protect his professional and personal reputation, as well as his contractual rights, in a court of law," Lepera added. Will Kesha's career die young? Right now it rests in the hands of the justice system.