UPDATE 12/6/2012: The case was dismissed with prejudice on Nov. 28 at Ke$ha's request.
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Things are getting "sleazy" in court.
Ke$ha's former management firm is asking a court to speed up a ruling in its $14 million lawsuit against the "Tick Tock" crooner, claiming it needs to be paid before the clock runs out on her career.
Ouch.
According to court papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court and obtained by the New York Post, lawyers for DAS Communications claim Ke$sha "is a very young and inexperienced artist whose 'star' may not continue to rise."
"Although she has made an incredible amount of money in a very short period of time, in large part due to DAS' efforts on her behalf, she could just as easily lose money if not properly guided," court papers state.
DAS, whose clients include Meat Loaf and Paula Abdul among others, sued the singer last May, alleging it had an agreement with the 23-year-old popster that would have paid the firm 20 percent of her earnings if it brokered a major label deal within a year.
When that didn't pan out, DAS claimed Ke$sha waived the deadline and that, after signing their client with Warner Bros in 2008, the management company was entitled to the payday. But their relationship was derailed, according to the complaint, when hit songwriter Dr. Luke convinced Ke$ha to drop DAS in September 2008 and sign with RCA/Jive instead.
"Their legal maneuver was to try and delay everything and we defeated everyone of those motions," said DAS spokesman Kenneth Freundlich about the latest court action.
The performer, whose real name is Kesha Rose Sebert, has since filed a countersuit in California alleging the firm's claims are bogus because she had every right in their deal to sever their business ties and that DAS is simply trying to cash in on income she earned elsewhere.
Attorneys for Ke$ha declined to comment on the most recent filing.
Meanwhile when she's not having to deal with legal snafus, the rambunctious California native is heating up the charts. Aside from selling out her first-ever North American tour, Ke$ha had three tunes hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart last year and her mega-hit "Tick-Tock" was named the biggest-selling digital song in the world for 2010.
UPDATE: Ke$ha countersued DAS Communications Jan. 28, claiming the so-called contract between them is "void...and unenforceable" because the firm violated state licensing law when it drew up the deal.