Dr. Dre's estranged wife has filed a lawsuit against the hip hop legend claiming she co-owns the trademarks to some of his most valuable assets, including his stage name.
In the lawsuit obtained by Page Six, Nicole Young claims that not only does she co-own "Dr. Dre" and "The Chronic," the rapper's transformative album, but also that the hip hop mogul is hiding assets so that she can't get to them.
Nicole claims she "caught [Dre] secretly transferring valuable trademarks he owned with his wife … to a newly created asset holding company that he created and controlled after he expelled his wife from their home, and before he threatened to file divorce."
"Two days after the threat, Nicole had no choice and initiated divorce proceedings," she alleges. "Andre's transparent and reprehensible scheme to transfer these assets away, without Nicole's knowledge or consent, so he could retain more for himself in a divorce from his wife of 24 years, and the mother of his three children, is an epic failure and reveals the true nature of his character, or lack thereof."
In late June, Nicole filed for divorce from Dre, ending their 26-year relationship. The split has been contentious — she's claimed she was forced to sign a prenuptial agreement (she also claimed Dre ripped up the paperwork a few years later, which he's denied).
Nicole argues that because she was with Dre — real name Andre Young — as he gained fame and notoriety, their assets should be shared.
"After Andre forced Nicole out of their family home on or about April 2, 2020, he quickly plotted to secretly transfer their assets, to deny Nicole her equal share," she claims in her new lawsuit. "These valuable Trademarks were filed during Andre's years married to Nicole, which coincided with Andre's years of rising success in the music industry. The Trademarks are presumed to be community property pursuant to California Family Code Section 760. Because they were married, Nicole and Andre owned the Trademarks jointly, from the date of their first filing in 1997, and through 2013, by virtue of being community property owners."
"Andre now purports to own the Trademarks in full," she adds.
Sources close to Dre told TMZ that the lawsuit is "ridiculous" and that Nicole is simply trying to embarrass him.
"They were married in 1996. 'Chronic' came out in '92 and Dr. Dre used his name since the 80's, so it's all his and his alone," a source said. Another added, "It's the act of a desperate woman who finally realized that the iron-clad prenup she signed doesn't win her the lottery."
Nicole is asking to have the trademarks put in a trust, and she's also suing for damages and legal fees.