Nicole Young says estranged husband Dr. Dre is using virus to avoid deposition in divorce case
The couple, married 20 years, is now in the middle of a contentious divorce.
Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and his wife, Nicole Young, were once one of hip-hop’s most glamorous couples. The alleged billionaire artist/producer — who got his start in the seminal Los Angeles group World Class Wrecking Cru, later joined N.W.A. and then became the mega-hit producer behind the Death Row Records label — married lawyer Nicole Threatt in May of 1996.
The couple ultimately had two children, a son named Triuce and daughter named Truly, but by 2020, things had soured, and Nicole filed for divorce in June. In September, she asked for $2 million in spousal support and alleged the mogul was hiding assets from her, according to multiple reports.
Per TMZ, Nicole, 50, said she reluctantly signed a prenuptial agreement, but she also alleged that Young, 55, acknowledged two years later that she’d been forced into doing so and “tore it up in front” of her.
“I was extremely reluctant, resistant and afraid to sign the agreement and felt backed into a corner,” she alleged in a legal filing. “Given the extraordinary pressure and intimidation by Andre, I was left with no option but to hire a lawyer (of course, with the help of Andre’s team of professionals) and unwillingly signed the agreement very shortly before our marriage.”
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As Nicole Young maintains that after the prenup was destroyed, the couple no longer had a financial agreement in place, her request for spousal support — including hundreds of thousands for clothing and “entertainment” expenses — is being reviewed. Young, for his part, denies ever tearing up a prenuptial agreement.
Now Nicole alleges that Young is slowing down the divorce proceedings and using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse. Citing concerns about the coronavirus, he says he wants his deposition to be virtual, but she says his worries are unwarranted.
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According to TMZ, Nicole contends that Young has had numerous social gatherings without any COVID-19 protocols in place, including visiting the homes of “multiple women in the Los Angeles area.” She wants him to depose in person to prevent him being coached and so her lawyers can see his responses in person.
A lot is at stake for Young, who Forbes magazine deemed short of the billionaire status he claimed in 2014, but who was number two on their list of the five richest rap stars, with an estimated net worth of $800 million. Up for grabs in their split are the couple’s other assets, which include five properties in and near L.A., a private jet, multiple cars and staff, including housekeepers, security guards and a private chef, per Newsweek.
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Nicole has alleged Young kicked her out of their Brentwood home and, as theGrio reported, says he’s had affairs with multiple other women she sought to depose and potentially had children outside of their marriage. Young has five other children: daughters Tyra and La Tanya and sons Marcel and Curtis. A third son, Andre Young, Jr., died of a heroin and morphine overdose in 2008. He was 20.
Nicole has also said her husband was abusive, according to court filings. Ex-girlfriends, including the singer Michel’le, have alleged the same. Young apologized publicly many years later for beating video show personality Dee Barnes in an unprovoked attack in 1991. A lawsuit related to the beating was settled out of court.
The estranged wife of the music icon is currently living in the couple’s Malibu property. She says, according to Newsweek, that after she was tossed from the 43,000-sq.-foot Brentwood home, Young texted her, saying: “Do not spend one more cent… You can’t be mean and disrespectful and spend my hard-earned money. F— that!”
She was first married to NBA player Sedale Threatt. This is Young’s first marriage.
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