Kesha's Defamation Battle Against Dr. Luke Gets New Court Date

The trial was slated to start in late February after an eight-year buildup, but Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Jennifer G. Schecter said there was “no way” Kesha’s pending pre-trial appeals would be decided by then.

Related | Kesha Accuses Dr. Luke of Holding Up Defamation Case

In one pending appeal, Kesha’s team aims to reverse a ruling that deemed Dr. Luke was a private figure rather than a public one, lessening the burden of proof as his team will have to prove Kesha acted only with negligence, not malice, by accusing him of misconduct.

The process will now begin with jury selection on July 19.

The case began back in October 2014 when Dr. Luke, real name Lukasz Gottwald, sued Kesha in the state of New York. The singer filed a dueling lawsuit in L.A. alleging that Dr. Luke, her former producer, knocked her out with an unknown substance and raped her during a period of alleged sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

Dr. Luke’s lawsuit alleged that Kesha, whose full name is Kesha Rose Sebert, defamed him with her accusations as a means to extort a better contract. Kesha then transferred her claims to New York, where most were dismissed under the statute of limitations. Dr. Luke's case still looms ahead.

Having anticipated the delay over the summer, Kesha and her legal team urged Dr. Luke’s camp to cooperate in the appeals process.

“It would be a monumental waste of party and judicial resources to proceed to trial when there is a very real risk that a new trial immediately would be required, as would be the case if the Court of Appeals reverses as to any of the several questions currently before it. Promptly resolving the pending appeals is essential before trial can begin,” Kesha’s lawyer Leah Godesky wrote to the court in August.

Dr. Luke’s lawyers shared in a statement toRolling Stonethat their client was “ready and willing” to begin a trial that he “looks forward to winning,” pointing the finger instead at Kesha’s camp for the trial’s postponement due to “meritless appeals.”

Photo courtesy of Jason Sean Weiss/BFA