In 2014, famous singer Kesha filed a lawsuit against her producer, Lukasz Gottwald (Dr. Luke), for sexual, emotional, and physical abuse. The case is still going on. In February of 2016, it was decided in the Manhattan state Supreme Court that Kesha could not be released from her contract with Sony music, which meant that she would still have to deal with her rapist if she wanted to keep her career. Justice Shirley Werner Kornreich states that Kesha has "failed to plead that any of the alleged discrimination occurred in New York State or City," and that the court has no power over the claims. It was also noted that Kesha's claims failed to prove that Gottwald's actions were hate crimes. Despite all of these roadblocks, Kesha has filed an appeal in hopes of changing the court's mind. While Gottwald has tried to persecute Kesha in the New York Superior Court for defamation and breach of contract, the California Court has sided with the singer and persuaded her to file counterclaims alleging sexual harassment, gender-based violation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
While I cannot relate personally to Kesha in this instance, I think this issue is extremely important. Rape culture and sexism have blinded the elites of today's society and therefore caused unwarranted harm and distress to victims. The fact that the court system is not trying harder to aid Kesha in this time of sorrow is an unfortunate reflection of the disregard to rape victims and women's rights in modern American society. When I think of Kesha's situation, I think of the monsters I was scared of when I was younger. Whether they lived under my bed, or resided in my closet, I was scared to death of having to face them. Imagine having to go to work everyday with those monsters. Think of the fear and anxiety that ordeal would cause. That is exactly what I think Kesha is going through at this time. Unfortunately, sexual harassment cases are extremely hard to prove and, furthermore, to win. I can only hope that Kesha will rise above this nightmare and come out even stronger.
This issue relates to class because we are talking about the judiciary and civil rights. Sexual harassment is prohibited by the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but there are almost no federal laws concerning sexual harassment and the ones that do exist are "vague and inconsistent." In this case, Kesha is the plaintiff and Lucasz Gottwald is the defendant. If the case continues, it might even become a class action suit which is a case brought by someone to help him or her and all others who are similarly situated.
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