In the continuing saga of the Dr. Dre divorce, we now have conflicts of interest, prenups, attorneys’ fees, and the ongoing demand for millions of dollars in alimony payments.
Nicole Young filed for divorce from Dr. Dre after 24 years of marriage. Although the couple had a prenuptial agreement, Nicole alleges that Dr. Dre tore the agreement up after they were married. She also said that he forced her to sign the prenup by telling her he would not marry her without one.
After filing the divorce petition, Nicole demanded $2 million per month in spousal support and $5 million in legal fees. The case continued with more drama surrounding the in-person deposition of Dr. Dre. Nicole demanded he show up for the deposition amid the COVID-19 pandemic and asked the court to fine Dr. Dre $50,000 for failing to attend the depositions.
Fast-forward six to seven months, and the divorce between Nicole and Dr. Dre continues to be filled with drama, high-dollar demands, and complicated legal issues.
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Dr. Dre Ordered to Pay Legal Fees
Nicole won the battle for her legal fees. A judge ordered Dr. Dre to pay $500,000 at the end of April 2021 for Nicole’s legal fees. The court did not award Nicole what she wanted, i.e., for Dr. Dre to pay $5 million for a group of high-profile lawyers.
Dr. Dre states that he cannot afford to pay $2 million a month in spousal support. He alleges that he is already paying $293,000 per month in expenses for Nicole, who lives in the couple’s Malibu home.
Dr. Dre may be paying for his estranged wife’s legal team, but he is losing his own legal team. Nicole’s attorneys successfully argued that prominent attorneys Howard King and Laura Wasser had conflicts of interest in representing Dr. Dre in the divorce action.
The Parties are Single Again
Even though the messy, complicated divorce action continues, the parties have legally terminated their marriage. Dr. Dre and Nicole both asked the court to end their marriage legally. A judge granted the requests on April 15, 2021.
Dr. Dre filed a request with the court to bifurcate the status of the divorce. In other words, he asked the court to separate the financial portions of the divorce from the dissolution of marriage. The result is that the parties are no longer married, but they continue to fight over the approximately $800 million that Nicole insists Dr. Dre is worth.
Just two days earlier, Nicole won a major battle when the court granted her petition to depose three of Dr. Dre’s alleged mistresses. The three women had fought against being deposed for the case. However, the judge decided that the women may have information relevant to the issue of support, so they will have to answer Nicole’s questions about their relationships with Dr. Dre under oath.
The Biggest Battle Rages On Between the Parties
The issues above are somewhat small compared to the main issue at hand: the alleged pre-nuptial agreement between the parties.
Nicole insists that she signed the marital agreement under duress and that Dr. Dre destroyed the agreement after being married for a few years. Dr. Dre insists that the pre-nuptial agreement is valid because of a clause within the agreement that states it can only be revoked in writing.
At stake are hundreds of millions of dollars. Nicole is fighting to have the prenuptial agreement declared invalid or revoked because it likely limits the money she receives in a divorce. If she can convince the judge to declare the pre-nuptial agreement invalid, she can claim one-half of Dr. Dre’s property under California’s community property laws.
High-Net-Worth Divorces Can Be Messy and Bitter
Premarital agreements help prevent some of the issues between Dr. Dre and Nicole Young. If a couple has a valid prenuptial agreement, many of the issues that Dr. Dre and Nicole are litigating would be settled in the agreement. There would be nothing to argue about or litigate.
A premarital agreement can save a couple time, money, and frustration by making up-front decisions about issues related to property division, spousal support, debts, and other matters in the event of the divorce.
However, in the case of Dr. Dre and Nicole Young, the parties bitterly disagree on whether the prenupwas valid and is still valid. It has become a matter of “he said” versus “she said” that a judge must now decide.
