Michel’le believed she had married Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight in 1999, while he was serving time in prison. The two had a wedding ceremony, and for years she considered herself his wife. They later had a daughter, Bailei, in 2002, and their relationship continued for several years.

Then, around six years later, Michel’le decided she wanted to end the relationship and went to court expecting to get a divorce. Instead, she says she received a shocking revelation: the marriage was not legally valid because Knight was still legally married to his previous wife, Sharitha. Michel’le has described herself as being naive about the situation and said she did not realize there was a legal problem with the ceremony.

The story became even more complicated because Knight had married Sharitha in 1989, according to biographical records. If that marriage had not been legally dissolved before his ceremony with Michel’le, Knight could not legally enter another marriage. That meant Michel’le wasn’t simply going through a normal divorce—the court proceedings exposed a problem with the marriage itself.

Michel’le later spoke openly about the unusual situation and her difficult relationship with Knight, including allegations of physical abuse. Their story was eventually dramatized in the 2016 Lifetime film Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le. What she believed was a six-year marriage ultimately turned out to be something very different legally—a painful lesson that having a wedding ceremony doesn’t necessarily mean a marriage is recognized by law.