Bad news for Kesha fans everywhere – the pop star has just been denied her injunction releasing her from her recording contract with Sony. Kesha had been pinning her hopes on today’s trial, hoping that it would free her from her contract with ex-manager and producer Dr. Luke.

Kesha will remain under contract with Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records label, which is owned by music industry behemoth Sony. According to tweets from a Buzzfeed reporter present in the courtroom, Kesha sobbed as the verdict was announced, and was comforted by her mother.

What this means in practical terms is that Kesha will remain an artist on Dr. Luke’s label, despite the fact that she alleges she was raped, physically and verbally assaulted during her time working with the record producer. The judge, Justice Shirley Kornreich, rejected Kesha’s request for an injunction as “extraordinary”. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Justice Kornreich said that she had faith that Sony would “do the commercially reasonable thing” and allow Kesha to record without Dr. Luke’s involvement, although Kesha’s own lawyer described that as an “elusive promise”.

While today’s news is undoubtedly heart-wrenching for Kesha and her fans, a tiny sliver of hope does remain. Having earlier said that she needed more evidence, such as hospital records, to judge Kesha’s allegation of assault against Dr. Luke, Justice Kornreich has requested more information from Kesha’s lawyers on this topic. As such, if Kesha’s defence team is able to provide the information the judge is after, there might still be a chance that Kesha can escape her deal with Sony – which her lawyers claim have left her feeling ‘suicidal’.

Outrage at Kesha’s treatment swept social media, even as the singer left the courtroom to greet her waiting fans in tears. While the #FreeKesha hashtag trending on Twitter may grant Kesha some scant comfort in knowing that her fans still root for her, the reality is that, for now, Kesha is locked in a legal nightmare which threatens to permanently end her music career.