Kesha accuses Dr. Luke of rape

 

In 2008, pop artist Ke$ha cut ties with her New York-based management company DAS Communications, breaking her contract. The company then claimed that her producer Dr. Luke, real name, Luke Gottwald, “induced, intimidated, and convinced” her to do so. In a 2011 testimony connected to this case, Kesha denied that Dr. Luke never roofied her or coerced her into sex. However, on October 14^th of this year, Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke saying that he date raped her. Apparently, Kesha went to rehab and therapy after the 2011 testimony, when she was not strong enough to come to terms with what had happened to her, and now she finally is ready to come out with the story. Kesha claims that Dr. Luke forced her to snort an illicit drug and forced himself on her during a cross-country flight, when he then threatened her, saying that he would shut down her career if she ever spoke of the rape to anyone.

The issue now, is that regardless or not of whether Kesha’s claims are true, Gottwald’s defense attorneys have very strong defenses following past, highly publicized false rape claims in the media. Dr. Luke’s lawyers stated, “This kind of cynical grandstanding in which false claims of abuse are used as a negotiating tactic insults real victims.” Kesha’s attournies, on the other hand, are taking a strong stance on victim blaming, stating, “He threatened her and she equivocated because she was under threat. This is a desperate attempt on their part to blame the victim.” The problem here, is that this case is becoming a never-ending circle of he said, she said, and not even focusing on the facts or evidence, but rather, at attacking the other side and sticking to rape myths as a strong enough testimony. Using the rape myth “she’s lying” or the rape myth, “she wasn’t strong enough then, but she is now,” is just not substantial enough in today’s rape culture to convince a judge one way or another. It is very disappointing that due to suggested false rape claims over the past years (UVA, Duke), a claim of rape is no longer strong enough to be believable. 

Gottwald finally spoke out in a series of tweets, claiming that he never raped Kesha. The judge did not rule in Kesha's favor last Friday. Gottwald expressed his compassion for those who believe Kesha, but stated, "lives can get ruined when there's a rush to judgment before all the facts come out. Look what happened at UVA, Duke, etc."He further goes on to say, "It's sad that she would turn a contract negotiation into something so horrendous and untrue. But I feel confident when this is over the lies will be exposed and the truth will prevail." Unfortunately, again, this outcome leaves me confused and with many questions. I want to believe Kesha, as I always want to believe the victim, but when information like this comes out and when is seems so plausible that the victim could be lying, it leaves readers and onlookers questioning the reality of the situation. Especially, because this case is among hollywood celebrities, it makes it so much easier to say that they were doing this for fame, publicity, or money. 

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/kesha-denied-date-rape-dr-luke-back-2011-article-1.1982546
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/dr-luke-breaks-silence-i-didnt-rape-kesha-20160222