Multi-platinum producer Dr. Luke is NOT a public figure says judge

Dr. Luke has produced many platinum releases and been named Grammy Producer Of The Year, but a Judge had decided that Dr. Luke is not a public figure.

According to Court House News:

In a case brought by music producer Lukasz Gottwald, also known as Dr. Luke, against musician Kesha, who accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her, an appeals court in New York ruled Dr. Luke is not a public figure and does not need to prove Kesha made her allegedly defamatory statements with “actual malice.”’

This bio would seem to contradict his “private” figure claim:

He came into music prominence in 2004 for producing Kelly Clarkson‘s single “Since U Been Gone” with Swedish record producer Max Martin.

Gottwald continued to co-write and produce commercially successful records such as “Who Knew” (2006) for Pink, “Girlfriend” (2007) for Avril Lavigne, and “I Kissed a Girl” (2008) for Katy Perry, before leaving Saturday Night Live and reuniting with Clarkson for “My Life Would Suck Without You” (2009). He worked with Taio Cruz, B.o.B, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, T.I., Flo Rida, Miley Cyrus, Jessie J, Ne-Yo, Shakira and Pitbull. As the founder of Kemosabe Records, Gottwald has signed artists such as Kesha, Doja Cat, Juicy J, R. City, Lil Bibby and Elliphant.

Gottwald’s work has been recognized with various music industry awards. Billboard named him one of the top performing producers of the 2000s. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers awarded him Producer and Songwriter of the Year honors from 2009 to 2011. At the 53rd Grammy Awards, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, and Perry’s Teenage Dream was nominated for Album of the Year.

In October 2014, Kesha initiated a series of lawsuits, alleging sexual assault and abuse by Gottwald.^[4] They were dismissed in April 2016.