As Kesha continues to rehab from a torn ACL and gears up for a massive summer tour with Macklemore, she was dealt a crushing blow in her ongoing legal dispute with producer Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald) on Tuesday, as the Hollywood Reporter has reported that a judge has rejected Kesha’s appeal to get out of her contract with Dr. Luke. A New York appeals court judge struck down Kesha’s appeal, quashing her ability to legally force the termination of her contracts with Dr. Luke. This clears the way for Dr. Luke’s defamation lawsuit to continue as he alleges that Kesha has smeared him in the media over things that did not happen, irreparably damaging his brand.

Over the past couple of years, there has been a myriad of lawsuits and counterclaims between the two, with Kesha alleging that Dr. Luke raped her and that she should be released from any contracts with him. So far Kesha has been unsuccessful in making any progress, with many of her lawsuits getting rejected by the courts. Dr. Luke has filed a series of counter-claims, alleging that he has done nothing wrong and that he is owed a sizable amount of money from royalties on Kesha songs.

Kesha has had a strong resurgence in the past couple of years, releasing a new album last year and performing at the Grammy Awards earlier this year.