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So it came as a total surprise when Welch received a hysterical phone call from that same producer, warning her that she was about to receive a letter from the president of MGM accusing her of breaching her contract.That December, MGM sent Welch the dreaded letter, which said she'd been "terminated due to Welch's failure to comply with her contractual obligations." They went on to replace Welch with Debra Winger, who cost less and was 15 years younger. Welch, of course, was devastated, and believed that the studio had simply used her name to pull in funding for the film, and then kicked her off in favor of someone younger and cheaper.
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At the end of October, Kesha's lawyer, Mark Geragos, filed a court injunction requesting that Kesha be allowed to record new music without Dr. Luke–something her current contract forbids. The wording is strong, almost panicked: "Kesha now faces an abysmal decision: work with her alleged abuser… or idly and passively wait as her career tick-tocks away… Her brand value has fallen, and unless the Court issues this injunction, Kesha will suffer irreparable harm, plummeting her career past the point of no return."Kesha even has an affidavit from the former president and CEO of Universal Music Group Distribution, Jim Urie, to emphasize just how badly she needs to start recording again. "No mainstream distribution company will invest the money necessary to distribute songs for an artist who has fallen from the public eye, as is happening to Kesha at this very moment," Urie wrote in the affidavit. "Accordingly, if Kesha cannot immediately resume recording… her career is effectively over."As the lawsuit drags on, Kesha is watching the peak years—or months, even days—of her relevance slip away, and there's not much she can do about it. If her case drags on like Welch's did, there may be no more yodeling, no more glitter canons, no more disheveled hair and green lipstick for her. In turning to the law for independence, both women found themselves even more trapped: caught up in a protracted system that wreaked havoc on their "brand value" and their professional aspirations.On the day Welch won her lawsuit, she told the press: "I think what this shows is that it's important to stand up for your rights, and I hope that women in and out of Hollywood stand up for their rights when they feel they've been wronged." In hindsight, the quote is chilling and ominous; a warning that when women in and out of Hollywood stand up for their rights, they pay for it.Follow Tori Telfer on Twitter.Read: Kesha, Slut Shaming, and the Tyranny of Pop Music Patriarchy