Kesha Breaks Her Silence Following Dr. Luke Lawsuit Settlement

Kesha settled her long and infamous legal battle with producer Dr. Luke last week, and after a few days to reflect, she made her first public statement on Instagram. The 36-year-old singer accused Dr. Luke of sexual assault in 2014, and he responded with this countersuit for defamation. Now that it has been settled out of court, Kesha is looking ahead to the future.

“I am humbled and in awe of the support and love y’all have given me,” Kesha wrote. “You have held me and carried me throug the past 9 years. I am so full of light and excitement for the beautiful things to come, for shows to play, and art to make to share with you all. Animals, ‘I don’t need much but there’s one thing I can’t lose. All I need is you.’” She concluded her caption with a heart emoji. The note was appended to a photo of Kesha on stage with confetti flying through the air and fans with their hands raised, including one forming a heart with their hands.

Kesha and Dr. Luke reached their settlement last Thursday, and while some of the terms may have been confidential, they “agreed to issue a joint statement regarding that resolution.” Both made posts on their Instagram feeds, with Kesha writing: “Only God knows what happened that night. As I have 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.”

The night Kesha was referring to was in 2005 – one of the most specific instances in Kesha’s initial lawsuit against Dr. Luke. She claimed that during the 10 years they worked together, the producer had repeatedly drugged her and sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious or inebriated. The legal process whittled this accusation down to one specific instance in 2005 when Kesha said that she woke up “sick and sore” in Dr. Luke’s bed with no recollection of how she got there.

Kesha eventually dropped that lawsuit, but Dr. Luke’s countersuit for defamation has carried on ever since. He has maintained his innocence, and did so once again in his public statement on Thursday. He wrote: “While I appreciate Kesha again acknowledging that she cannot recount what happened that night in 2005, I am absolutely certain that nothing happened. 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.”