Law360: Dr. Luke Faces High Bar In Kesha Libel Case, NY Court Says
June 13, 2023
Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald, a music producer, is famous enough to qualify as a “public figure,” the New York Court of Appeals held. The ruling is part of a longtime legal dispute between Kesha and Gottwald, who filed a defamation suit against the artist after she accused him of sexually assaulting her. “By 2014, when Gottwald initiated this defamation action, he was, by his own account, a celebrity,” Judge Michael J. Garcia wrote. “He purposefully sought media attention for himself, his businesses, and for the artists he represented, including Sebert, to advance those business interests … As a result, he must prove that Sebert’s allegedly defamatory statements were made with actual malice.” A trial is scheduled to begin in July. Kesha is represented by Anton Metlitsky, Leah Godesky, and Daniel M. Petrocelli of O’Melveny & Myers LLP.
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