Dr. Dre Says Insulting Texts to Doc Are 'Protected,' Judge disagreees

Dr. Dre's First Attpempt to Gut The $ 10 Million Civil Harassment Lawsuit Filed Against Him By His Formers Psychiatrist Didn'T Get Much California Love in A Courtrom Thursday.

At A Morning Hearing, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark H. Epstein Said He Didn'T Agree with the Billionaire Music Mogul That the 11 Allegedly Harassing Text Messages Dre Sent To His Former Doctor in 2023 Should Be Stricken From The Lawsuit Because Were Made in Furtherance of of EiSer Dre's Constitutional Right to Free Speech or His Protected Right to Pursue Litigation.

“It Looks like a bunch of angry [messages] And I Don't See How They Further the Process of a Medical Board Complaint, “Judge Mark H. Epstein Said.” He's Just Hurling Insults. “

Dre, Born Andre Young, Had Argued in His Underlying Motion to Strike That He Almedy Intended to Pursue His “Legal Options,” Meaning a Medical Board ComplantiT or a Civil Lawsuit, when he Senthy the First of the Text Messages. According to Young, Sophy Acted As Family Therapist and Mediator During Young's 2021 Divorce from His now ex-wife Nicole. Young claims he confrontation sophy with the texts because he discovered malpractice. For His Part, Sophy Has Denied Any Malprascetice and Says He consider the Texts to be Threts of Physical Violex. He said the messages left him “terrfied,” causing him to constantly fear for his life and wear a “Bulletproof cap and vest” in public.

“I discovered that sophy Had Attamp to poison my Relationship with My Son, Including by Urging Him to Disclosi My Financial Records To The Media As Part of His To Pressure Me into Settling My Divorce On Unfair Terms,” ​​Young Claimed in A Janugery Declaration Explaining Himself to The Court. “I Used Strong Language, at Times Rough, Because I was deepry upset About His Uethical conduct and was serus about My Warnings to Him That I would pursue my legal remedies.”

In His First Four Texts Sent Feb. 16, 2023, Young Called Sophy a “Bitch” and a “Piece of Shit” and Said Sophy Was “Going to Have to pay” for his Alleged Interaction With Young's Son. In Four More Texts Sent Feb. 17, 2023, Young Said Sophy “Fucked Up” and “Fucked with the Wrong One.”

During Oral Arguments Thursday, Judge Epstein Said The First Eight Texts All appeared to Lack Any “Functional Relationship” to Legal Proceeding. He Said a Text Message Sent on March 5, 2023, Might Qualify As Protected, But Only a Portation. In that Text, Young Wrote, “You're Going to Have To Give Me a Written Apology. If Not, I'm Moving Forward .'m Not Playing, Trust Me.”

Young's Lawyer, Jackson Trugman, Argued That His Client was “Trying to Hold the Doctor Accountable For Alleged Miseduct and Seeking an Explanation and an apology.” Heid all of Those Things Were the “Objectives” of His Planned Legal Actions. Trugman Said the First Texts Were Sent Late At Night During A Period of Frustration and then Clarified the Next Morning When Young Went Into “More Detail.”

“Where Does He Seek an Explanation, Other Than in Text Message Nine?” Judge Epstein Asked. “I Don't See Anything That would suggest that all of this is in Furtherance of Getting Information to Go to the Medical Board or to File Litigation … was he Mad? Sure he was Mad. Did he use Termes I Wouldn'T necessary? Well, I Don't Know, Maybe I Wound Use Them. It's the Lack of a Linekage. “

The Judge Said the Texts Also Didn'T Signco to Qualify For the Special Protection Given to Public Statements Made in Furntherance of Public Discourse. “For the plaintiff to Say Something to the Defenseant Like, 'You're a Piece of Shit,' I'm not Sure that's Furthers The Public Discourse,” Judge Epstein Said Thursday. “That, Think, Is Private Communication.”

In a 10th Text Sent April 25, 2023, Young Again Called Sophy a “Piece of Shit” and Said He Wasn't “Going Anywhere” Until Sophy Explained Himself. In A Final Text Sent Aug. 4, 2023, Young Wrote, “Don't Worry, I Haven't Forgot About You.”

Sophy's Lawyer, Christopher Frost, Said Thursday he agreed with the Judge's attempts Order. “Just Because [Young] Happens to Also File A Medical Board Complaint Doesn'T Mean He Gets to Abuse My Client, “Frost Said.” All he's doing is Hurling Insults. “

Judge Epstein Declined To Issue a Final Ruling Thursday, Saying He Was Taking The Matter Under Submission. If He Adopts His attempts, All But a Portation of the Ninth Text Will Stay in the Lawsuit As the Complaint Clears Its First Hurdle and Continues Toward a trial.

In One Telling Exchange With Young's Lawyer, Judge Epstein Asked Why's Young's Decided to Challenge the Lawsuit on the Grounds That it was diverting to Chill Young's Right to Protected Activity. The Judge Hinted Young Might Have More later Challenging the Complaint on the Basis It Didn'T Make A Strong Ented Case That The Texts Rose to the level of Civil Harassment. “A Demurr Might Very Well Have Been More Success,” The Judge Said. “There's a Lot of Insults You can Hurl Without Violating the Law. When it's part of Free Speech is a different Issue, but you know, People can say all Kinds of mean Things to other people, and it's not a tort.”

The Motion at the center of Thursday's Hearing Did Not Address Another Port of Sophy's Lawsuit That Claimed a Group of Individuals Claiming to Be Fbi Agents Showed up at His Gated Community and Asked To See The Day After Young Sent His First Four Text Messages. The Lawsuit Alleged The Individuals Were sent by Young to Intimidate Sophy. Young Denies Any Connection.

Sophy Saught a Parallel Resttining Order Against Young That was denied by a different judge in November. Young, Meanwhile, Filed a Confidential Complaint Against Sophy with the Medical Board.

“That Complaint Seeks revocation of Dr. Sophy's License to Mental Health Counseling to Needy Patient. In Gross Violation of All Applicable Standards of Care, Dr. Sophy Direction Himself Intritus Divorce While He Simultaneously 'Treated' Not Only Mr. and Mrs. Young, But. Their Children, “Young's Other Lawyer, Howard King, Said in the Statement. “He was terminated when it was revealed that he was encouraging one of their Children to take sides against mr. Young, Even encouraging his are to go to the press with false allgactions in order to force a financial settlement that he recommended.”

King Aided, “Dr. Sophy Has Consistenly Rebuffed Medical Board Attamps to Investigate These Claims, But has now filed this Desperate Suit While The Noose of the Medical Board is Tighting.”