Superstar R&B crooner Nathaniel "Nate Dogg" Hale is seeking a legal judgment preventing bankrupt Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight from discharging an alleged $10 million dollars in back royalties.
In documents released by Court TV's website TheSmokinggun.com, Nate Dogg, born Nathaniel Hale, claims that Knight was the owner and president of Death Row Records.
The complaint claims Knight's other companies, including Suge Music and Suge Publishing are not "separate legal entities from Suge, the individual, or Death Row and are not legal entities at all, and Suge and Death Row are the true identity behind these empty shell identities."
Using these companies, Knight is fraudulently using Death Row Records to acquire and "exploit valuable intellectual property rights" of Nate Dogg through making false statements as to the rapper's contractual status with Death Row.
Additionally, the complaint claims that Nate Dogg was not listed or named on the schedule filed by Knight in bankruptcy court and that Nate Dogg had no knowledge of the deadline a judge set in September of 2006, to file a claim against Knight'.
Nate Dogg claims that his recorded association with Knight began around 1993 (his debut was on Dr. Dre's The Chronic) until the present and that Knight has never accounted to, or paid Nate Dogg the amounts he was entitled for various hit records he released during his association with Death Row Records.
When Nate Dogg inquired about his royalties, he alleges that Knight responded with threats of physical violence, claimed that no profits were generated by Death Row and falsely stated that Nate Dogg would eventually be paid.
As a result Nate Dogg, who has contributed to over 60 chart singles, is seeking no less than $10 million dollars from Knight personally.
In the complaint, attorney's for the singer stated that Nate Dogg can't remember if he ever signed a contract with Knight, but if he did, Knight would have been solely responsible to for receiving, collecting and administering royalties. .
The filing also states that Death Row continuously refuses to provide an accounting of the amount of records sold that featured Nate Dogg.
