Dr. Luke subpoenas Lady Gaga for lawsuit against Kesha

July 31 (UPI) -- Music producer Dr. Luke has subpoenaed Lady Gaga in his defamation lawsuit against Kesha.

Dr. Luke, real name Lukasz Gottwald, sued Kesha for defamation after New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich rejected the singer's amended lawsuit against the hitmaker in March.

The highly-publicized legal battle between Kesha and Dr. Luke began in Oct. 2014 when the pop star attempted to get free from her contract under Dr. Luke after she said he raped and abused her. Gaga showed support for Kesha in Feb. 2016 on social media by posting a photo of the pair with the caption "Free Kesha."

"In connection with Dr. Luke's defamation claims against Kesha, various third parties are being deposed by both sides, including celebrities," read a statement from Dr. Luke's lawyer. "Dr. Luke's counsel served a subpoena on Lady Gaga because she has relevant information regarding, among other things, false statements about Dr. Luke made to her by Kesha. This motion has become necessary because Dr. Luke's counsel has not been able to obtain, despite repeated request, a deposition date from Lady Gaga."

Gaga had previously submitted a written statement regarding text messages between herself and Kesha however, the report was deemed incomprehensible due to much of the information being redacted, TMZ reported. Gaga could now be required to partake in a three hour interview.

"As Lady Gaga's legal team will present to the court, she has provided all of the relevant information in her possession and is at most an ancillary witness in this process. Dr. Luke's team is attempting to manipulate the truth and draw press attention to their case by exaggerating Lady Gaga's role and falsely accusing her of dodging reasonable requests," a representative for Gaga said in response to the subpoena.

News of Gaga's subpoena comes as Kesha is making her musical comeback, releasing new singles "Praying" and "Learn to Let Go," that hint at her history with Dr. Luke. Both tracks will appear on Kesha's upcoming album Rainbow, which is set to arrive on Aug. 11.