News of August 9, 2001
Daz Dillinger Sues Death Row and Suge Knight
A few days after Suge Knight's release in August 2001, Daz Dillinger sued Death Row, alleging he was cheated out of more than 1 million dollars.
Barely had Suge Knight been released from prison before he ended up in court. Less than a week after his release on August 6, 2001, Daz Dillinger, whose real name is Delmar Arnaud, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Death Row Records, the music publisher Suge Music, and Knight personally.
One Million Dollars and Threats
The lawsuit included nine counts of breach of contract. According to Daz, the label and Knight breached five recording and publishing contracts from 1993 to 1998. They had allegedly intentionally withheld money from him and threatened him with violence. In total, he was allegedly cheated out of more than 1 million dollars, having been paid only 75,000 dollars. According to the Los Angeles Times, his songs had reportedly generated more than 15 million dollars in revenue during his time at Death Row.
It was in dispute whether he was still entitled to any royalties from the older contracts: a 1998 agreement was intended to replace them. How Daz collaborated with Tupac is described on his profile page; the circumstances of Knight’s release are covered in the August 6 report.