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Everything you need to know about Kesha's legal battle with Dr Luke.

The legal battle between pop singer Kesha and music producer Dr Luke began in 2014 when Kesha sued her long-time producer, accusing him of years of sexual and emotional abuse.

Most recently, a judge ruled Kesha, 28, was legally obliged to continue working with Sony Records, maintaining her association with the man she accused of abusing her.

The US singer-songwriter rose to fame after the release of her debut album Animal in 2010, which spurred the party anthem Tik Tok.

Dr Luke and Ke$ha. Image: Getty.

She was nominated for four MTV Music Awards, including Best New Artist in 2010 and was also nominated for Best Collaboration in 2014 for the song Timber, with rapper Pitbull.

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Kesha is also a songwriter and has penned hits for artists including Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, The Veronicas and Ariana Grande.

For those new to the story, here is a breakdown of the case:

Kesha and Dr Luke's past

Lukasz Gottwald, or Dr Luke as he is better known, was the executive producer for both of Kesha's albums.

Before Kesha and Gottwald's partnership began, the record producer rose to prominence in 2005 when he produced Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone, and has since worked with Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and other female artists.

In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Gottwald's label Kemosabe Records, owned by Sony Music.

She went on to record major hits with him, including TiK ToK and We R Who We R.

Kesha's lawsuit

In 2014, Kesha filed a lawsuit in California to void her contract with Gottwald and his business subsidiaries, allowing her to work with other labels.

The pop star's claim included accusations her producer forced her to take drugs and drink alcohol so he could abuse her sexually when she was under the influence.

Kesha also alleged Gottwald berated her as overweight and caused her bulimia.

However, years before the lawsuit, in 2011, Kesha testified in a deposition that Gottwald had never made advances at her, and denied having an "intimate relationship".

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Dr Luke's response

Gottwald's attorney, Christine Lepera, called the charges "malicious lies" and said her client maintained Kesha was sullying his name in an effort to cut short her contract.

Shortly after, Dr Luke countersued Kesha, her mother Pebe Sebert and Kesha's management firm.

In the lawsuit, he said Kesha tried to extort him by threatening to file her lawsuit so he would release her from her contract.

Both lawsuits from 2014 are yet to go to trial.

Gottwald has not been charged with any crime and his lawyers say he "wants his name restored".

What's happened since?

On February 19, 2016, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge denied an injunction that would have allowed Kesha to record music outside of her contract, while both lawsuits played out.

The judge ruled she was legally obliged to produce five more albums with Sony Music, maintaining her association with Gottwald.

Case plays out on Twitter

Soon after the decision was delivered, Twitter lit up with the #FreeKesha hashtag,

Lady Gaga and Lorde were among the musicians to throw their support behind the singer, with Taylor Swift even donating $US250,000 towards Kesha's legal fight.

Following Swift's donation, Gottwald's attorney, Ms Lepera, accused Kesha and her legal team of conducting a "trial by Twitter, using a vicious smear campaign to ruin his reputation".

Shortly after, Gottwald took to Twitter to defend himself.

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This post originally appeared on the ABC.
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