Update (2:10 P.M.): When reached, Sony declined to comment.

This world is a disturbingly small one at times, and the legal world is no exception. Kesha, who’s been involved in a long legal battle against Sony Music producer Lucasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald is now coming face to face with that universal truth. It turns out Shirley Werner Kornreich—the justice who threw out two of the singer’s claims of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse against Gottwald in a New York State Supreme Court—is married to Ed Kornreich, an attorney whose firm, Proskauer Rose, represents Sony/RCA. E! News has confirmed that the two share a New York address. As a music insider told Page Six, “This seems like a strong conflict of interest.”

To review, in April, Kornreich asserted that “every rape is not a gender-motivated hate crime” and that Kesha had insufficient evidence to prove any kind of abuse from Gottwald.

Kesha’s case, though not in headlines nearly as often these days, made news earlier this month when the singer dropped actions against Gottwald in the state of California. This means that her case narrowed to a lawsuit that seeks to terminate her contract with Gottwald’s Sony label, Kemosabe Records in New York.

Kesha wrote in an Instagram post that this move was an effort to be able to focus on producing more music. At the time, Gottwald’s attorney stated that Kesha dropped the California charges because she knew she couldn’t win them, thus turning her attention to the New York case. But now, with revealed ties between New York-based Kornreich and Sony, this case seems to have gotten trickier still.

A legal expert told E! News that a judge is required to avoid “even the appearance of impropriety,” or in other words, he or she is not supposed to have an interest in the outcome, financial or otherwise, of a judgment—and if they might, is legally bound to report such information. This puts Kornreich in the spotlight because her husband is a partner at the firm that also represents Sony. However, it hasn’t been confirmed that he works on Sony affairs at Proskauer Rose. Furthermore, the legal expert confirmed to E! News, this means Kesha’s legal team could request that every ruling in this case be undone—giving her a virtual “do-over” in the case.

VF.com has reached out to Kesha's representatives, Sony, and Ed Kornreich for comment. When reached, Justice Shirley Werner Kornreich was not available to comment.