Katy Perry Denies Dr. Luke Raped Her in Unsealed Kesha Lawsuit Deposition

As part of Kesha and producer Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald’s ongoing legal battle, Lady Gaga was subpoenaed in July 2017. Kesha allegedly texted Gaga claiming that Gottwald raped another female artist. It was revealed earlier this summer that the artist in question was Katy Perry.

An excerpt of Perry’s deposition from July 21, 2017 was unsealed today, Variety reports. In an exchange between Perry and attorney, Perry repeatedly denies the rumor that she was raped by Gottwald.

“Did Dr. Luke ever rape you?”

“No.”

“Did Dr. Luke ever sexually assault you?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Did he ever give you a roofie?”

“No.”

“Did you have a sexual relationship with Dr. Luke at all?”

“No.”

“A romantic relationship?”

“No.”

Dr. Luke and Perry worked on many songs together, including her hits “I Kissed a Girl,” “Teenage Dream,” and “Roar.” She did not work with Gottwald on her latest record, last year’s Witness.

Gottwald’s attorneys released a statement today accusing Kesha’s team of filing a “bogus complaint” and creating a press campaign designed to ruin Dr. Luke’s career. One of the documents unsealed today included email exchanges where someone on Kesha’s team writes that their goal was to get Kesha out of her deal with Gottwald by “inciting a deluge of negative media attention and public pressure on the basis of the horrific personal abuses presented in the lawsuit.” Gottwald’s attorneys said in a statement:

There is nothing worse than abuse and sexual assault. Dr. Luke supports any woman or man who seeks to address sexual abuse in the legal system. That is not what happened here. It is also horrendous to falsely accuse someone of a heinous act. That is what has happened here. Kesha’s voluntarily dismissed rape claim has caused great harm to Dr. Luke, his family, and his businesses.

Kesha’s legal team responded in a statement. “Contrary to Dr. Luke’s Legal Team’s assertion that today’s evidentiary record reveals something Kesha doesn’t want the public to see, Kesha has consistently requested that the evidence in the case be unsealed, while Dr. Luke has fought vigorously to keep the evidence from seeing the light of day,” the statement reads. “Kesha looks forward to defeating Dr. Luke’s meritless $40+ million damage claims at summary judgment or trial.” Their statement also called Gottwald’s defamation claim—regarding Kesha’s text message to Lady Gaga—“frivolous.” Her team also refuted the idea that Kesha’s management “concocted the allegation to get her out of her recording contract.”

Read “Are Kesha’s Lawyers Playing to the Public More Than the Courts?” and “Why Kesha Lost Her Court Battle, But Not Necessarily the War” on the Pitch.