Dr. Dre Calls $10M Lawsuit Racist After Accuser Gets Restraining Order
Dr. Dre asked for the removal of a restraining order after a psychiatrist sued him for harassment. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Dr. Dre accused Dr. Charles Sophy of “racist” justifications for the lawsuit and denied threatening the psychiatrist.
Sophy was granted a restraining order in October. Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, claimed there was no “credible threat of future violence.” He said Sophy was “invoking racist caricature that depicts Black men, like [Dr. Dre], as inherently violent.”
Dr. Dre admitted he sent expletive-laden texts to Sophy, who served as a counselor during the producer’s divorce. Sophy believed he faced real danger.
“Rather than treating the mediation process as an opportunity for healing, [Dr. Dre] 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,” Sophy’s lawsuit alleged.
Sophy accused Dr. Dre of orchestrating a scheme to have fake FBI agents intimidate the psychiatrist. Sophy said he felt the need to increase his security and wear a bulletproof threat after the incident.
“It was a calculated, unlawful attempt … to threaten his physical safety and send the unmistakable message that [Dr. Dre] can reach Dr. Sophy even in the sanctity of his home,” Sophy’s lawyers wrote.
Howard King, Dr. Dre’s lawyer, described the lawsuit as “desperate.” King said Sophy was trying to deflect from concerns presented to a medical board.
“Dr. Sophy filed his suit only after he failed to pressure [Dr. Dre] into dropping efforts to get Dr. Sophy punished for dereliction of duties and incredible incompetence,” King told TMZ. “These claims are set forth in detail in a confidential complaint Mr. Young filed in 2023 with the Osteopathic Medical Board of California. “That complaint seeks revocation of Dr. Sophy’s license to provide mental health counseling to needy patients. 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.”
Sophy sought $10 million in damages. Dr. Dre asked the court to deny future protective orders.