Los Angeles, CA – Rap icon Dr. Dre is facing a new legal battle, this time with a former therapist who claims the musician subjected him to a “systematic and malicious” campaign of “unbearable harassment.”
In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Dr. Charles Sophy alleges that Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, hired him in 2018 to mediate the breakdown of his marriage to ex-wife Nicole Young. Sophy says he worked “diligently, independently and fairly” to help the couple resolve their disputes, but that’s when the trouble began.
According to the lawsuit, about 14 months after the divorce settlement was reached in late 2021, Dre began bombarding Sophy with a “nearly year-long sustained campaign of late-night texts, threats of intimidation and violence, and homophobic rhetoric.”
The doctor claims the texts included Dre calling him a “bitch” and making ominous warnings like, “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you.” Sophy says he’s so terrified of Dre that he refuses to leave his home without a bulletproof vest.
“Nobody, absolutely nobody, should ever be subjected to this type of abusive, tormenting conduct, especially when the person being subjected to those threats and unbearable harassment is the doctor who had worked diligently to help treat this individual,” Sophy’s legal team asserts in the complaint.
However, Dre’s attorney, Howard King, has a different take on the situation. In a statement to Rolling Stone, King claims that Dre filed a “confidential complaint” against Sophy with the Osteopathic Medical Board of California last year, alleging that the doctor “behaved unprofessionally” during the divorce proceedings.
“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,” King alleges. “He was terminated when it was revealed that 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 to force a financial settlement that he recommended.”
King claims that Sophy’s lawsuit is a “desperate” attempt to deflect from the medical board’s investigation into his alleged misconduct.
“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,” King said.
However, Sophy’s lawyer, Christopher Frost, insists that the focus should be on Dre’s “consistent pattern of negative and abusive behavior.”
“All mental health professionals work with individuals and families at the most vulnerable and emotionally challenging times of their lives,” Frost said. “However, threatening and harassing someone to express one’s emotions is an unacceptable behavior that the world at large cannot tolerate.”
Sophy is seeking at least $10 million in damages and a restraining order that would force Dre to stay 100 yards away from him and his son. The doctor claims he’s even afraid for the safety of his dogs, Maxx and Cash, and wants the court to order Dre to stay away from them as well.
This latest legal drama is just the newest chapter in Dre’s complicated history with allegations of abuse. The rapper has faced accusations from several women, including journalist Dee Barnes, his former girlfriend Michelle, and musician Tairrie B. Murphy. However, he has denied some of the claims and pleaded no contest to others.
In 2015, ahead of the release of the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton and Dre’s album Compton, he issued a public apology to the “women I’ve hurt,” saying, “I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives.”
As Dre finds himself embroiled in yet another legal battle, the question remains whether he can weather the storm or if this latest allegation will further tarnish his legacy. Sophy’s stakes are even higher as he seeks to reclaim his sense of safety and security in the face of what he calls Dre’s “unbearable harassment.”