Names and faces
■ Pop singer Kesha made a false claim that Dr. Luke raped singer Katy Perry when there’s “no evidence whatsoever” that he did, a judge ruled last week while sending a long-running clash between Kesha and her former mentor toward trial. Kesha’s lawyers said in a statement that they plan to appeal Thursday’s ruling, which also says she owes the prominent producer over $373,000 in interest on royalties she paid him years late. Kesha, born
Kesha Rose Sebert, known for such hits as “TiK ToK” and “Praying,” and Dr. Luke have been locked in court battles since 2014, when she filed a lawsuit alleging that he drugged and raped her in 2005 and emotionally abused her for years. He denied the allegations and sued her, saying she was smearing him with fabrications to try to get out of her record deal. A New York court later dismissed Kesha’s sexual abuse-related claims because of time limits and other legal issues, without ruling on whether the allegations had merit. Meanwhile, Kesha claimed — in a 2016 text message to Lady Gaga — that Perry “was raped by the same man.” Dr. Luke, born Lukasz Gottwald, denies that allegation, and Perry said that it was “absolutely not” true during sworn questioning in 2017. “There is no evidence whatsoever that Gottwald raped Katy Perry,” Manhattan Judge Jennifer Schecter wrote in Thursday’s decision, calling Kesha’s remark a false statement that meets legal standards for being defamatory. The judge also noted that many aspects of the suit remain to be decided, including the question of whether Kesha’s allegation of her own rape is true.
■ A state legislator wants an audit of the California lottery to look into a whistleblower complaint about more than $212,000 worth of scratch-off tickets that were given to Ellen DeGeneres’
TV show for audience gifts. The lottery viewed the move as a publicity boon but the complaint filed by some lottery employees contends the giveaway was a “misuse of funds,” the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. The giveaway occurred on the Dec. 3 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The lottery confirmed that the show was given at no cost 425 packets that each included 72 tickets with a face value of $500 per packet, the Los Angeles Times said. The controversy has arisen just weeks before the release of a lottery audit requested last year by state Sen. Ling Ling Chang after allegations of wasteful spending, improper gifts and nepotism. Chang said the audit should investigate the TV show giveaway because she’s concerned about funding that the lottery is supposed to generate for California public schools. “I want to know how this contribution affects supplemental funding to California public schools. Does it help? I don’t think so,” said Chang.