Taylor Swift Donates $250,000 To Kesha After Judge Refuses To Let Singer Out Of Recording Contract
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- While singer Kesha got no love from a judge on Friday, some A-listers are supporting the "Tik Tok" artist in a big way.
Taylor Swift donated $250,000 to help Kesha pay for her legal battle against producer Dr. Luke, CBS2 reported.
Kesha sought to be released from her longterm record deal with Sony, citing alleged sexual assault perpetrated by Dr. Luke. The contract requires Kesha to record eight more albums with the producer, whose real name is Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald.
Kesha's lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles in 2014, accused Dr. Luke of raping her and subjecting her to other sexual and emotional abuse for nearly a decade. The abuse led the singer to develop a severe eating disorder that required her to enter rehab, according to the lawsuit.
Kesha sought to invalidate recording agreements she signed with Dr. Luke and his recording company when she turned 18. But a judge ruled on Friday that she could not be released from the contract.
Despite the ruling, the case is ongoing and friends are still coming forward to show their support for the singer.
Lady Gaga took to Twitter to say "There are people all over the world who love you @KeshaRose. And I can say truly I am in awe of your bravery."
Demi Lovato tweeted "Frustrating to see women come forward with their past only to be shot down, not believed & disrespected for their bravery in taking action."
But there was also a bit more to Lovato's tweets on the matter.
"She thinks that Taylor needs to speak up about the issue that Kesha is faced with," Bonnie Fuller, Editor-In-Chief of Hollywoodlife.com, told CBS2's Jill Nicolini.
Fuller said Kelly Clarkson, who worked with Dr. Luke on some of her biggest hits, is also tweeting support for Kesha.
"If someone is being abused, it's really good that women are standing up and supporting each other," said Vaibhav Ajmera, of Floral Park.
"I think that's actually really good female empowerment," said Keisha Glover, of Harlem.
On Monday, Dr. Luke's attorney released a statement denying Kesha's allegations and accusing the singer of conducting a "trial by Twitter, using a vicious smear campaign to ruin his reputation."
Dr. Luke filed a lawsuit against Kesha in New York, calling the claims defamatory and saying his protégé is making them in an attempt to extort him into giving her a better recording deal.
"If anyone is going to support anybody they should know the facts to the fullest before they invest their opinions in it," said Eric Ulmer, of Staten Island.
Some people are also wondering when or if other female artists who have worked with Dr. Luke -- including Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Pink -- will come forward in support of Kesha or remain tight-lipped.
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