Instead, it was a slew of technicalities that appears to have dealt a devastating blow to Kesha's legal case. Even if the facts of her case were true, the judge noted, the alleged assaults took place in 2005 and 2008 — outside the legal time limit — and in California, where a New York court has no jurisdiction.

AD

AD

Kesha's most recent legal defeat was met with outrage by the many fans, feminists and celebrity supporters who have championed her efforts — under the Twitter hashtag #FreeKesha — to escape a binding contract with Kemosabe Records, Dr. Luke's Sony-owned label.

The judge concluded that Kesha's alleged rape did not count as a gender-related hate crime. Kornreich maintained that Kesha's legal team failed to provide evidence "that Gottwald harbored animus toward women or was motivated by gender animus when he allegedly behaved violently toward Kesha," she wrote in her opinion. "Every rape is not a gender-motivated hate crime."

It was a line of reasoning that drew a sharp rebuke from some of Kesha's boosters.

Disturbing that #Kesha Judge would say that 'Every rape is not a gender motived hate crime" All victims of rape R victims of both. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) April 6, 2016

And the judge noted that Kesha's claim that Dr. Luke intentionally inflicted emotional distress does not meet a strict legal standard for action, either, the judge said.

AD

AD

"Her claims of insults about her value as an artist, her looks, and her weight are insufficient to constitute extreme, outrageous conduct intolerable in civilized society," Kornreich wrote.

Despite the ruling, Kesha's case isn't entirely over; Kornreich's decision can be appealed, and one surviving counterclaim, regarding details of Kesha's contract, will proceed in court. The singer could also revive her lawsuit against Dr. Luke in California, which has been on hold pending the outcome of the case in New York.

A representative for Dr. Luke declined to comment Thursday. Kesha's attorney, Mark Geragos, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dr. Luke has emphatically denied Kesha's accusations, and no criminal charges have ever been filed against him.

AD

The legal saga began in October 2014, when Kesha — born Kesha Rose Sebert — sued the producer (born Lukasz Gottwald) in California, claiming that he had drugged and raped her and subjected her to emotional abuse that drove her into an eating disorder and profound depression. She asked the court to release her from the contract that bound her to produce six records with him. He countersued in New York, alleging defamation and claiming that Kesha simply wanted to find a better record deal elsewhere.

AD

In February, Kornreich denied Kesha's request for a preliminary injunction that would have allowed her to record music outside her label while her case against Sony proceeded. Sony said it would provide a different producer to work with Kesha, but she rejected that offer. Kornreich said it was a reasonable compromise: "My instinct is to do the commercially reasonable thing."

Kesha sobbed in the courtroom as the ruling was announced, and her case quickly gained momentum as a cause for many high-profile female entertainers, including Adele, Taylor Swift, Lena Dunham and Lady Gaga; Swift contributed $250,000 to help with Kesha's legal bills.

AD