Dr. Luke moves to dismiss part of Kesha's sexual abuse lawsuit

Hit-making music producer Dr. Luke has asked a judge to dismiss allegations that he sexually abused pop singer Kesha from a civil lawsuit, court filings show.

Attorneys for Lukasz Gottwald, known professionally as Dr. Luke, argue in a Monday court filing that Kesha's claim that she was raped by her mentor is barred by the statute of limitations.

Kesha sued Dr. Luke last month claiming the producer subjected her to nearly a decade of emotional and sexual abuse. She did not state when the alleged rape occurred, and Dr. Luke's attorneys contend the allegation should be thrown out from the case because it could not have occurred within the past two years.

The producer's filings note that in a 2011 deposition, Kesha denied that Dr. Luke made any sexual advances toward her. Portions of the deposition were unsealed by a New York judge last month.

Kesha's attorney Mark Geragos has said that Dr. Luke threatened his client that he would harm her if she ever discussed the alleged rape.

Dr. Luke's lawyers are also seeking the dismissal of a claim of gender violence, which they state has a three year statute of limitations. If dismissed, six other allegations including sexual harassment, civil harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress would remain in the case, although those might be the subject of later motions.

"Dr. Luke is hiding behind a legally flawed motion which we expect won't work," Geragos wrote in an email.

Kesha and Dr. Luke have competing lawsuits filed in Los Angeles and New York, respectively. The producer, who has produced hits for artists such as Katy Perry, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Pitbull, Flo Rida and Miley Cyrus, has denied he raped Kesha and his attorneys have said her case is an attempt by the singer to gain a more favorable contract.

The "Tik Tok" singer's suit accuses Dr. Luke of subjecting her to other sexual and emotional abuse for nearly a decade. The abuse led Kesha to develop a severe eating disorder that required her to enter rehab earlier this year, according to the lawsuit.

She is asking a judge to release her from contracts she signed with Dr. Luke.

On Monday, Kesha took to Twitter to thank fans for their support:

Dr. Luke worked closely with Kesha on her 2010 debut album, "Animal," and the 2012 follow-up, "Warrior."

In September 2013, fans set up a petition to "free" the singer from Dr. Luke's management, arguing he's stifling her creative growth as an artist.

Kesha's mother, meanwhile partially blamed Dr. Luke for contributing to her daughter's eating disorder and other emotional problems.

She dropped the $ from her name after leaving rehab and quickly started working on new music. She's also made appearances on ABC's "Rising Star" series.

Kesha first came on the scene in 2010 with the hit "Tik Tok." After that, she pumped out several other singles, including "Your Love is My Drug," "Crazy Love" and ''Die Young." The California native starred in the MTV reality series "My Crazy Beautiful Life" and earlier this year made her directorial debut with the music video for "Dirty Love."