Nate Dogg seeks royalties from Suge Knight

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- R&B singer Nate Dogg went to court to prevent the bankrupt owner of Death Row Records in Los Angeles from discharging funds in back royalties.

In court documents made public, Nathaniel "Nate Dogg" Hale claimed Marion "Suge" Knight's other companies were separate entities from Knight and his Death Row Records and in fact, "are not legal entities at all," said Allhiphop.com.

Because Nate Dogg contributed to more than 60 chart singles for the company, he was seeking $10 million from Knight.

By using the other companies, Knight employed Death Row Records to acquire and "exploit valuable intellectual property rights" of Nate Dogg by misrepresenting the rapper's contractual status with Death Row, the documents said.

When Nate Dogg asked about royalties, he said Knight claimed Death Row didn't generate any profits, but led Nate Dogg to believe he would be paid.

Nate Dogg said he wasn't listed in documents Knight filed in bankruptcy court, nor was he aware of the September 2006 deadline to file a claim, the court documents said.

Death Row Records and Knight filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2006, listing debts of $137.4 million and assets of $4.4 million.