Dr. Luke Denies Split with Sony Amid Kesha Court Battle

According to a new report from TheWrap, music industry insiders have confirmed that producer Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald’s contract with Sony is coming to an end a year earlier than expected following a legal battle with Kesha, during which the pop star accused Gottwald of sexual abuse. In recent weeks, celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Adele, and Kelly Clarkson have rallied around the singer, thrusting the case into the spotlight.

In response, the producer’s representatives released a statement to TMZ this afternoon claiming that the reports are false: “Luke has an excellent relationship with Sony. His representatives are in regular contact with executives at the highest levels at Sony, and this has never come up.”

Right now Kesha’s signed to Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records, an imprint of Sony, and the news comes four weeks after the singer filed for—and was swiftly denied—a preliminary injunction against Dr. Luke that would allow her to make music outside of her existing contract with him. The producer denied the claims: “I didn’t rape Kesha, and I have never had sex with her. Kesha and I were friends for many years and she was like my little sister,” he tweeted.

In an official statement about the case, posted to Facebook last month, Kesha wrote: “All I ever wanted was to be able to make music without being afraid, scared, or abused. This case has never been about a renegotiation of my record contract—it was never about getting a bigger, or a better deal. This is about being free from my abuser.”