Kesha Ordered to Pay $375K over Allegations Against Dr. Luke

NEW YORK - A judge has ordered pop star Kesha to pay $375,000 to veteran record producer Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald in a defamation case against her.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Schecter has ordered the singer to pay more than $373,000 in Dr. Luke’s defamation lawsuit against her.

Dr. Luke took legal action against Kesha, alleging that Dr. Luke sexually assaulted pop singer Katy Perry in a text she sent Lady Gaga in 2016. Perry denied that Dr. Luke ever assaulted her during a 2017 deposition, resulting in Judge Schecter saying Kesha “made a false statement to Lady Gaga about Gottwald that was defamatory per se.”

She added: “There is no evidence whatsoever that [Dr. Luke] raped Katy Perry. Moreover, publication of a false statement to even one person, here Lady Gaga, is sufficient to impose liability,”

The judge disagreed with Kesha’s lawyers who argued that because Dr. Luke is a public figure, the standards for claiming defamation should be higher.

Kesha's representatives said they would appeal the ruling.