Dr. Luke still has a relationship with Sony despite reports

Despite reports that Sony has cut its ties with Dr. Luke, EW has learned that Sony Music “still has a relationship” with the producer although his contract with the company expired in March and he is no longer the CEO of Kemosabe Records, a Sony imprint he launched in 2011.

Kesha has been trying to get out of her contract with Kemosabe since 2014, when she filed a complaint against Dr. Luke claiming he emotionally, physically, and sexually abused her throughout their years-long working relationship. Luke, who has denied the allegations, responded by filing a defamation suit, which is still ongoing. In February of 2016, a New York judge denied Kesha’s request for an injunction, which would have allowed her to record new music outside of Kemosabe; she is currently locked in appeals.

Aside from his work with Kesha, Dr. Luke is also known for working with other big names in pop music including Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Rihanna. He notably collaborated with Kelly Clarkson on 2004’s “Since U Been Gone,” and the American Idol winner has been outspoken about her experience with him.

“He’s a talented dude, but he’s just lied a lot,” she said in 2016. “I’ve run into a couple of really bad situations. Musically, it’s been really hard for me because he will just lie to people. It’s like ‘What?’ It makes the artist look bad. He’s difficult to work with, kind of demeaning, it’s kind of unfortunate. People are like, well, you’ve worked with Max [Martin] and Luke and I’m like, Max and Luke are very different. Obviously, the dude is a talented guy but character-wise, no.”

Dr. Luke’s attorney didn’t respond to request for comment; Kesha’s rep declined to comment.