Photo Credit: Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg by Jason Persse / CC by 2.0
A marriage counselor is suing Dr. Dre for at least $10 million with allegations of systematic harassment and threats.
Dr. Charles Sophy, a divorce psychotherapist in Southern California, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against rapper and business mogul Dr. Dre with allegations of “systematic and malicious” threats and harassment.
Dr. Sophy is suing Dre for at least $10 million, alleging the rapper subjected him to a barrage of “unbearable harassment” that left him fearing for his life and wearing a bulletproof vest.
According to the lawsuit, Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, hired Dr. Sophy in 2018 to mediate the breakdown of his lengthy marriage to his now former wife, Nicole Young. Dr. Sophy says he worked “diligently, independently, and fairly,” to help the couple resolve their differences, and the pair reached a settlement in 2021.
But about 14 months later, Dr. Sophy says Dre began texting him with allegations that the doctor had somehow acted improperly, which he denies. “Rather than treating the mediation process as an opportunity for healing, Young decided to take his frustrations about the mediation out on Dr. Sophy — frustrations that manifested themselves in the form of a nearly year-long sustained campaign of late-night texts, threats of intimidation and violence, and homophobic rhetoric.”
Dre’s lawyer, Howard King, told Rolling Stone that the rapper previously filed a “confidential complaint” against Dr. Sophy with the Osteopathic Medical Board of California last year, seeking “to get Dr. Sophy punished for dereliction of duties and incredible incompetence.”
That complaint seeks “revocation of Dr. Sophy’s license to provide mental health counseling to needy patients,” says King. “In gross violation of all applicable standards of care, Dr. Sophy inserted himself into a contentious divorce while he simultaneously ‘treated’ not only Mr. and Mrs. Young, but their children.”
“He was terminated when it was revealed he was encouraging one of their children to take sides against Mr. Young, even encouraging his son to go to the press with false allegations in order to force a financial settlement that he recommended,” claims King. “Dr. Sophy has consistently rebuffed Medical Board attempts to investigate these claims, but has now filed this desperate suit while the noose of the Medical Board is tightening.”
According to Dr. Sophy, Dre sent him an “overtly threatening” text around 10 PM on February 16, 2023, in which he claimed someone told him something “disturbing,” and that the doctor was “going to have to pay for that.” When Sophy questioned him, Dre allegedly responded, “Yes, you,” and “You’re a piece of s—t.”
Dr. Sophy says Dre “falsely accused” him of trying to turn an unidentified third party against him, and “wrongly accused” him of acting improperly during the divorce mediation.
“There is no truth behind these baseless and far-fetched accusations,” reads Dr. Sophy’s lawsuit. “Dr. Sophy tried to let the threats go and not pursue them. Young, however, would not let go.”
The lawsuit includes claims of civil harassment, threats of violence based on his sexual orientation, and seeks a court order prohibiting contact. Dr. Sophy is seeking compensatory damages of at least $10 million and punitive damages to be decided at trial.
