Copper(II)-hydroperoxide species are significant intermediates in processes such as fuel cells and (bio)chemical oxidations, all involving stepwise reduction of molecular oxygen. We previously reported a CuII-OOH species that performs oxidative N-dealkylation on a dibenzylamino group that is appended to the 6-position of a pyridyl donor of a tripodal tetradentate ligand. To obtain insights into the mechanism of this process, reaction kinetics and products were determined employing ligand substrates with various para- substituent dibenzyl pairs (-H,-H; -H,-Cl; -H,-OMe and -Cl,-OMe), or with partially or fully deuterated dibenzyl N-(CH2Ph)2 moieties. A series of ligand-copper(II) bis-perchlorate complexes were synthesized, characterized, and the X-ray structures of the -H, -OMe analog was were determined. The corresponding metastable CuII-OOH species were generated by addition of H2O2/base in acetone at –90 °C. These convert (t1/2 ~ 53 s) to oxidatively N-dealkylated products, producing para-substituted benzaldehydes. Based on the experimental observations and supporting DFT calculations, a reaction mechanism involving dibenzylamine H-atom abstraction or electron-transfer oxidation by the CuII-OOH entity could be ruled out. It is concluded that the chemistry proceeds by rate limiting Cu–O homolytic cleavage of the CuII–(OOH) species, followed by site-specific copper Fenton chemistry. As a process of broad interest in copper as well as iron oxidative (bio)chemistries, a detailed computational analysis was performed, indicating that a CuIOOH species undergoes O–O homolytic cleavage to yield a hydroxyl radical and CuIIOH rather than heterolytic cleavage to yield water and a CuII-O•−.