Dr. Dre’s divorce from estranged wife Nicole Young is costing him a fortune. For that reason, he’s ready to settle.
via The Blast:
Dre’s attorney, Laura Wasser, was in court yesterday for a trial setting conference to determine how far along the parties were in the case and whether a trial date could be set on the issue of the prenuptial agreement.
The two want the court to rule on whether Young’s 1996 Prenuptial Agreement is valid and enforceable. Both sides told the judge that discovery is ongoing as we have seen several filings about gaining access to business records. Nicole’s attorneys, Samantha Spector and Lisa Meyer, told the judge they had “much more work to do” to get ready for trial.
As is the case in so many celebrity divorce cases, there is always a cost of doing business…even splitting up! Dr. Dre’s ex has had access to over $750,000 in attorney’s fees paid by Dre, and she owes her attorney’s over $1,000,000 more!
Dre has racked up his own attorney’s fees, paying around $300,000. We’re told Dre has made it clear that on several occasions, he has proposed a settlement conference and would advance all costs to make this happen.
Dre has also proposed to resolve the matter on terms far more generous than what the prenuptial agreement provides. We’re told Dre wants his wife of over 20 years to be comfortable, and the more they fight, the more it costs!
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, the judge overseeing Dr. Dre’s divorce told the attorney’s they need to meet and confer regarding possible mediation and mediation costs, as well as recommending that the parties meet over the status of bifurcation, witnesses, the time estimate for trial, and the scope of the bifurcated issue.
At this point, Dre and Nicole can reach an agreement to settle certain terms of their divorce (like marital status), and continue to work out settlement details for other issues like support, community property, and attorney’s fees. There is no doubt that a lot is at stake for both Dre and Nicole, but the longer they disagree on certain terms, the more money they will spend.
Dr. Dre has communicated to his ex that he would rather not drag their divorce through several court proceedings and rack up millions of dollars in attorney’s fees. Nicole has even threatened sanctions against the rap mogul overturning over business records as well as sitting for depositions.
As we have previously reported, Nicole is asking the court to award her $2 million a month in temporary support, and Dre is opposing this amount. Dre claims he has been providing for his ex, even though the current divorce proceedings. Nicole has claimed that Dre tore up their prenup and Dre has said they have a valid agreement that he never tore up the document. Dre is asking the court to enforce the terms of the deal and has also offered to improve the offer.
The attorneys for Dre and Nicole have to provide the court with new updates as to the issue of bifurcation of validity and enforceability of the prenuptial agreement. This case could cost several million to litigate, and Dre has made it clear he would rather save on attorney’s fees and improve the settlement terms for their split.
The fact Dr. Dre is footing the bill for everything gives Nicole some leverage when it comes down to the settlement negotiations. He can agree to her terms or she can keep running up the tab.
