Kesha announces first tour after dramatic contract dispute

Louisiana residents understand that entertainers enter employment or business contracts similar to regular employees in the state and elsewhere. And, while these contracts spell out basic terms of employment or a business arrangement, these do not prevent contract disputes from occurring. In fact, if one party to the contract believes that there was a major or even minor breach of contract, this could result in a major dispute that requires business litigation.

By now, most people are familiar with the singer and entertainer Kesha and her long-running litigation with her producer, who is known as Dr. Luke. Back in 2014, Kesha sued her producer in Los Angeles for allegations of sexual, physical and mental abuse while Dr. Luke sued her in New York for defamation and breach of contract. In June of 2015, Kesha’s claims alleged in L.A. were put on hold because her current contract required that the legal issues in New York be resolved first.

In April of this year, the New York Supreme Court denied an injunction that would remove the singer from her current six-album contract. Almost all of Kesha’s claims were dismissed in the New York Court. However, this decision could be appealed, but Kesha’s lawyers are working to revive the L.A. suit.

And while a deal was worked out in the New York Court, it is unclear whether Kesha is accepting this as a resolution to this contract dispute. The singer took to her Instagram account stating that she was offered a deal in exchange for a public apology. However, the content of this video may not fulfill the terms of this deal.

Kesha was recently granted permission to release new music and she just announced that she would begin her U.S. tour on July 23. This will mark her first tour since 2014 when litigation first began. It is not clear at this time if the contract disputes stemming from the New York litigation have been resolved at this time. Additionally, there is no word about the L.A. suit being revived.

Even if a contract does not involve an entertainer or a celebrity, it is important that both parties are aware of the terms of a contract, agree to them and uphold them. If a party breaches the terms of a contract, this is likely a cause or reason to initiate business litigation.

Source: Los Angeles Times, “Kesha announces her first U.S. tour since starting a legal war with Dr. Luke,” M. Susie Schmank, July 20, 2016