Kesha has formally replaced Mark Geragos, the controversial lawyer who sued Dr. Luke on her behalf in October 2014, was later sued by Dr. Luke for defamation, and more recently represented her through a pair of major legal setbacks. Earlier, Geragos had ceased to represent Kesha's mother, Pebe Sebert. On April 27, Nashville-based attorneys Alex Little, Susan Neal Dickerson, and Mandy Strickland Floyd filed to represent Kesha in New York, along with Geragos and Daniel Petrocelli, a big-name lawyer who previously won a civil suit against O.J. Simpson. As of May 2, Petrocelli's firm O'Melveny & Myers has taken over from Geragos's firm in representing Kesha in New York and California, online court records show.
Pitchfork has reached out to Geragos for comment. The high-profile attorney's previous clients include Michael Jackson and Chris Brown. In 2014, Geragos implied on Twitter that Dr. Luke raped Lady Gaga, a claim Gaga flatly denied. (Dr. Luke subsequently sued Geragos for defamation.)
Kesha's California lawsuit accusing Dr. Luke of rape and other abuse has been stayed pending the outcome of Dr. Luke's lawsuit in New York accusing Kesha of defamation. A New York judge recently dismissed Kesha's countersuit there alleging emotional distress, employment discrimination, and gender-based hate crimes. In February, the judge also denied Kesha's request to record legally for labels other than Dr. Luke's Sony imprint Kemosabe Records, a ruling that Kesha has appealed. The next status conferences with the judges in the cases are set for May 11 in New York and May 16 in California.
On April 29, Kesha unveiled her Zedd collaboration "True Colors," her first official release since Pitbull's Dr. Luke-produced 2013 song "Timber." Zedd clarified via Twitter that "Kemosabe / RCA gave us permission to release this song."
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.
