First Comes Love: Why Does Nicole Deserve $3.5 million dollars a year?!

From a Family Law Attorney but not YOUR family law attorney (yet)

Courtnie Gore, Esquire

In recent news, Dr. Dre and his wife of 25 years, Nicole Young have decided to call it quits. Divorce is expensive and difficult, even if both people want the divorce. In this case, Nicole and Dr. Dre are contesting the terms of how to terminate their marriage. The biggest thing to make headlines this week was that Dr. Dre was ordered to pay Nicole a total of $3.5 million dollars per year. We know Dr. Dre as a mogul and prominent staple in rap and hip hop culture. Prior to marrying Dr. Dre, Nicole was an attorney. I’ve seen a lot of outrage from people on social media after this newsbreak. So I’m here to answer these (very angry) questions.

1) What has Nicole done to deserve $3.5 million per year?!

The very short answer to that question is that she married Dr. Dre and stayed married to him for a significant amount of time. The Judge has ordered Dr. Dre to pay his wife something called temporary spousal support. Spousal support, alimony, spousal maintenance - to-mae-toe/to-mah-toe. All of these terms are used interchangeably. The concept of spousal support predates Jesus Christ. That’s right, the Code of Hammurabi (1754 B.C.) required men to provide their women with land, money, and property if he wanted to leave her.

I think a lot of people forget that marriage is indeed a legal ceremony. So while marriage can be romantic it really creates legal rights and obligations between the two parties. Spouses have the right to receive each other’s benefits (social security benefits, pension, or disability benefits) and spouses have the right to make health decisions for a spouse in times of calamity. Duties? The biggest and on-going duty is the financial and fiduciary obligation to a spouse. A divorce does not necessarily end that obligation, especially if one spouse will be left financially destitute.

Now, Spousal Support is NOT to be confused with child support (blog soon to come on that matter). Spousal Support is NOT the division of property or assets. Support is payment. The support should be so that each party can maintain the same lifestyle that they had while married. Depending on the state, there are many types of spousal support: 1) temporary, 2) rehabilitative - to allow the lower earning spouse time to gain a skill, trade, or education so they can financially support themselves, 3) indefinite or permanent - ongoing support until the receiving spouse remarries or meets some other term set by the court, and 4) lump sum.

2) How did the Judge get to $3.5 million per year?!

Each state has its own set of factors to which they look for determining spousal support. A general list of factors include:

• The age, physical condition, emotional state, and financial condition of each spouse,

• The length of time the recipient would need for education or training to become self-sufficient,

• The couple's standard of living during the marriage,

• The length of the marriage, and

• The ability of the payer spouse to support the recipient and still support himself or herself.

Dr. Dre and Nicole’s divorce has not been finalized. This is a temporary order of spousal support that Dr. Dre is required to make while the courts decide the finality of the divorce. Nicole asked for $2 million a month in spousal support, so this temporary support is significantly lower than what she aimed for. Dr. Dre will also have to pay for her security team. He will also cover the expenses for their Malibu and Palisades homes. Nicole cannot remarry or she will waive her right to this spousal support. We will see what the Courts order in the absolute divorce decree. Because of the large cash flow and extensive financial portfolio, it will take the lawyers and courts quite some time to finalize this divorce.

3) So, if I sign a piece of paper and get married, that means someone automatically has a right to everything I worked for even if they didn’t contribute anything?!

Yes and no. There are some things such as inheritances, gifts, or property received prior to marriage that another spouse won’t be able to touch. However, that “What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is yours” saying exists for a reason. Absent an agreement or some protection, most of what you own could arguably be characterized as “marital property” after you say “I do.” This also includes debts.

We are seeing a significant rise in the amount of men who are receiving spousal support from their ex-wives. High profile divorces include Adele, Mary J. Blige, and Jessica Simpson who were required to issue multi-million pay outs to their ex-husbands.

4) How can I stop this from happening to me?

Well, unless your net worth is approximately $800 million (like Dr. Dre), I don’t think you have to worry about paying $3.5 million to your ex. That being said, you may have some assets and property you’d like to protect. That’s when family law attorneys are necessary. They can help you with nuptial agreements before and throughout your marriage to protect you if the love fades.

Editor’s Note: This writer originally and mistakenly wrote “Nicole asked for $2million a year in spousal support…” The post has been updated to read” Nicole asked for $2million a month in spousal support…”

What do you think of the Judge’s Order for Temporary Spousal Support? Comment Below.