Dr Luke is no longer chief executive of the record label he founded with Sony Music, suggesting the label may be distancing itself from the producer amid his ongoing legal battle with Kesha.
Court documents show the high-profile super-producer — real name Lukasz Gottwald — is no longer chief executive of Kemosabe Records, the imprint he co-founded with Sony in 2011.
A court filing dated on Friday stated that Kemosabe Records was “wholly-owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Lukasz Gottwald is no longer the CEO... and does not have authority to act on its behalf”.
The clarification was made in a written request of the New York supreme court by Sony’s legal team to dismiss a counterclaim by Kesha against the imprint as “misplaced”.
Scott A Edelman, a lawyer representing Sony, argued Kemosabe Records was not a party to the recording agreement with Gottwald and Sony that Kesha is attempting to have terminated, and the singer had voluntarily agreed to dismiss it from the action.
Edelman declined to comment further to the Guardian. Gottwald’s lawyer has been contacted.
The Guardian understands Gottwald continues to have a relationship with Sony Music but that his role as chief executive of Kemosabe Records ended on March 31. The imprint, over which he had creative control, was founded in November 2011 as part of a deal that gave Sony exclusive rights to his services as a producer.
The Hollywood Reporter, the first to reveal the story, also reported that a page devoted to Dr Luke had been removed from Sony Music’s website.
It suggests the label may have severed some ties with the producer amid his fraught legal battle with Kesha, which dates back to 2014, when she sued him for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, unfair business practices and other charges.
A New York judge dismissed Kesha’s case to end her recording contract in April last year. She has since explored other avenues, including an unsuccessful bid in March to assert a Californian labour law imposing a seven-year limit on personal service contracts in a New York court.
In February Kesha had released a series of emails to back up her claim that Gottwald psychologically abused her. Her legal counsel wrote in a court filing that Kesha wanted to “be free from her abuser and rebuild her physical, emotional, and emotional health”.
Gottwald has denied the claims. His defamation case against Kesha is ongoing.
