In 2014, famous pop star, Kesha, filed a lawsuit against producer Dr. Luke hoping to void all legal contracts between the two. She claimed she was “sexually, verbally, physically, and emotionally abused” by the producer, and drugged, then raped on multiple occasions.

Dr. Luke denied all allegations and promptly countersued for defamation and breach in contract that stated Kesha was obliged to produce at least five albums with Dr. Luke before her contract can be terminated.

Their contract with Sony is also set to end soon, after which Kesha will be entirely under Dr. Luke’s jurisdiction. Her case in Los Angeles was dropped, as a New York case had begun to “take precedent” over hers. Kesha then dropped her suits and took her case to New York.

In February of 2016, a New York judge denied Kesha a court injunction allowing her to continue recording music amid her suit. Meanwhile, numerous stars including Lady Gaga and Katy Perry began to voice their support, and millions followed suit showing love via social media, donations,and holding rallies outside courtrooms.

The hashtag, #FreeKesha was trending on Twitter month after month. Later that year, Kesha made a social media post stating that she was offered freedom from the contracts on the condition that she retract her allegations against Dr. Luke and publicly apologize for lying. She announced that she had rejected the settlement, that she had been telling the truth, and that the truth “cannot be retracted”.

Then, in August, eighteen months after filing charges, Kesha dropped her suit, offering the explanation that “this lawsuit has been so heavy on [her] free spirit”. All she wanted was to produce and release music again.

Since then, Kesha has been able to resume her music production with other producers, though no release date or promotional plans have been set. However, she performed with Zedd at Coachella in 2016 and they collaborated on a song that was in his most recent album. She also made a cameo in a Sundance movie.

As her legal battle continues, she recently made claims that Dr. Luke has been withholding roughly $1.3 million in royalties. Dr. Luke and his attorneys have rejected these claims, maintaining that $150,000 was paid to her as she moved her case to New York. Kesha and Dr. Luke’s fight will continue, and their next hearing is scheduled for February 14.