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In New York, a state Supreme Court justice has thrown out pop star Kesha's claims against her producer Dr. Luke. The singer accused him of sexual abuse that violated the state's hate crime laws. NPR's Jasmine Garsd reports.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TIK TOK")
KESHA: (Singing) Don't stop make it pop...
JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE: Kesha was a party jam queen with songs like "Tik Tok." But the music stopped in 2014, when Kesha sued her producer Dr. Luke. She claimed he drugged, sexually assaulted and emotionally abused her for 10 years. Dr. Luke denies it all and says she's trying to get out of her contract.
Justice Shirley Kornreich says the alleged sexual abuse happened outside New York and is beyond the statute of limitations. According to the AP, the judge also said, quote, "every rape is not a gender-motivated hate crime," end quote. Neither Kesha nor Dr. Luke responded to requests for comments by NPR.
Sony which owns Dr. Luke's record label says it offered to let Kesha work with other producers, but in an Instagram post, Kesha says she's been asked to recant and apologize. I would rather let the truth ruin my career, she wrote. A spokesperson for Dr. Luke told Rolling Stone magazine the only thing Kesha is not free to do is to continue to lie about Dr. Luke. One of Kesha's claims surrounding her contract is still pending in court. Jasmine Garsd, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
