KESHA APPEALS JUDGE’S RULING

Kesha’s lawyers filed a notice of appeal Monday asserting that Judge Shirley Kornreich made a mistake in denying Kesha's request for an injunction on her recording contract with Dr. Luke and Sony, likening her situation to slavery.

A pre-argument statement, which Rolling Stone obtained, claims that the judge erred when she based her decision on the assumption that Kesha would be able to record without Dr. Luke interfering.

"Although [the court] recognized that 'slavery was done away with a long time ago,'...the court's ruling requiring Kesha to work for Gottwald's companies, purportedly without his involvement, does just that," Kesha's lawyers wrote in the appeal.

They also contested the judge's opinion that no irreparable harm had been done to Kesha's career, citing affidavits by industry experts who agreed that "a young pop star's fame will fade quickly, and permanently, due to a loss of momentum."

Finally, the document alleges that the court miscalculated the balance of equities involved on the business side of the case, favoring Sony Music, while Dr. Luke could make recordings with anyone.

A representative for Dr. Luke submitted a statement to Rolling Stone that upheld the judge's opinion of the last point. "The Court repeatedly stated Kesha was already free to record without Dr. Luke, and that she had not presented any facts supporting her claims," the statement reads in part. "That's because all the evidence—including Kesha's own sworn testimony—show her allegations are false. Her attorneys can continue manufacturing even more false and outrageous claims, but the fact remains that her time would be better spent in a studio than wasting time having her lawyer and mother spin lies in the media."