Pop star Kesha sues producer for sex abuse

American pop star Kesha is suing to break her contract with her record producer, alleging he sexually abused her.

Kesha attends the premiere of Disney's 'Planes: Fire & Rescue'.

US pop singer Kesha is suing her producer, claiming he sexually abused her for nearly a decade. (AAP)

American pop star Kesha is suing her record producer Dr Luke for allegedly abusing her sexually and emotionally for years, while threatening to harm her career.

Famous for hits such as TiK ToK and We R who we R, Kesha, 27 - who signed with Dr Luke's Kemosabe label at 18 - charged the producer, real name Lukasz Gottwald, forced her to take drugs and drink alcohol so that he could abuse her sexually when she was under the influence, court documents filed on Tuesday show.

The singer also said she remembered waking up naked after Gottwald, 41, forced her to take some pills, but that she could not remember how she got where she awoke.

She also alleged that Gottwald's berating of her as overweight caused her bulimia. She has said publicly she went to rehabilitation for the eating disorder.

Kesha further alleged that her producer alienated her from her family when she moved to Los Angeles, and threatened to destroy her career if she reported these incidents.

Dr Luke maintains that Kesha is sullying his name in an effort to cut short her contract. The producer's attorney, Christine Lepera, called the charges malicious lies.

Kesha's attorney, Mark Geragos, said she is seeking damages, and that she is determined to regain control of her career and end professional ties to Dr Luke.


Share
Published 15 October 2014 9:55am
Updated 15 October 2014 10:22am

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world