Luke V (V): Last News

The New York Court Of Appeals ruled yesterday that producer Dr Luke is sufficiently famous to be deemed a “limited public figure”. This is a classification which impacts on his ongoing defamation legal battle with Kesha, increasing the producer’s burden in court.

Three US organisations that campaign for women’s rights and gender equality have filed an amicus brief in support of Kesha as part of her ongoing defamation battle with producer Dr Luke. They argue that recent changes to free speech laws in New York state should be applied to the Dr Luke v Kesha litigation, even though it pre-dates the passing of those new rules.Luke’s defamation claim against Kesha is all that remains of a wider legal battle between the two former collaborators, which began when Kesha accused Luke of rape.

A New York appeals court has overturned a ruling made last year in the ongoing defamation legal battle between Kesha and producer Dr Luke which would make it harder for the latter to prove that he was defamed by the former, while also opening him up to a damages claim.That original ruling last year was based on new free speech laws in New York state, but the appeals court said last week that those new rules should not be applied retroactively so that they impact on active disputes.Luke’s defamation lawsuit against Kesha is all that remains of a long-running, multi-layered and quite complicated legal battle between the two former musical collaborators.At the heart of the wider legal battle was Kesha’s allegation of rape against Luke. He denies that allegation, and in turn alleges that she only made that claim in a bid to force his hand in contract negotiations.