Judge threatens to take over Death Row label

A judge in Los Angeles says he will be taking control of Marion "Suge" Knight's assets, which includes his Death Row Records label.

L.A. County Superior Court Judge Ronald Sohigian made the ruling Thursday after finding the rap mogul had not paid a $107-million US civil judgment won last March by Lydia Harris.

"There has been a very, very protracted history of difficulty in the case," Sohigian said in his ruling, according to Associated Press.

Harris has argued she was cheated out of a 50 per cent stake in the label, launched in the early 1990s and responsible for the careers of Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur.

"Because he had a long history of deceiving the court and avoiding payment, I asked the court to appoint a receiver to take over," Harris' attorney Rex Julian Beaber said.

"If Knight cooperates in providing the information, he can ask the court to remove the receiver. But I don't think there's a chance in hell Knight is going to cooperate."

Knight’s lawyer, Dermot Givens, said the order has not been formally signed and he plans to prove Knight and Harris had reached a settlement.

"In May of 2005, she received a million dollars and rights to various music, and she signed a settlement agreement," Givens said.

Givens blamed Harris for reneging on the deal because her ex-husband pressured her for more money in their divorce settlement.  The ex-husband, Michael Harris, an imprisoned drug dealer, would be entitled to a share of the original $107-million judgment.

A lawyer for Michael Harris claims he put up $1.5 million to establish Death Row Records from behind bars and disputes there was a settlement.  "I think it’s a death knell for Death Row," Steven Goldberg said.