Taylor Swift donates $250K to Kesha amid fight with Dr. Luke
Pop star Kesha leaves Supreme court in New York, Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. Kesha is fighting to wrest her career away from a hitmaker she says drugged, sexually abused and psychologically tormented her _ and still has exclusive rights to make records with her. Producer Dr. Luke says the singer is slinging falsehoods and ruining his reputation to try to weasel out of her recording contract and strike a new deal. AP PHOTO
NEW YORK— Taylor Swift is giving some financial assistance to fellow pop star Kesha as she fights to get out of a contract with a record producer she has accused of sexually assaulting her.
A representative for Swift confirmed Sunday that Swift had donated $250,000 to Kesha in a “show of support” to help her in her legal fight against megahit producer Dr. Luke.
On Friday, the “Tik Tok” singer sobbed in court as a judge denied her bid to get out of her contract with Dr. Luke, who has worked with artists including Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj.
READ: Kesha goes to court in NYC over clash with producer Dr. Luke
Dr. Luke has denied Kesha’s allegations, and his lawyers reiterated his views in a statement Monday. Attorney Christine Lepera called Kesha’s accusations “outright lies that have been advanced to extort a contract renegotiation and money.”
While Friday’s court decision is not the final judgment in the case, the ruling has led to an outpouring of support for Kesha on social media from other celebrities, including Kelly Clarkson, who once worked with Dr. Luke.
Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukas Gottwald, posted denials of Kesha’s claims on Twitter.
“I didn’t rape Kesha and I have never had sex with her,” one of his posts read. “Kesha and I were friends for many years and she was like my little sister.”
A rep for Kesha did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Swift’s donation. Kesha’s attorneys declined to comment on Lepera’s statement Monday.
