R&B star Chris Brown is suing the media conglomerate Warner Bros Discovery for $500m (£406m) for making defamatory claims against him in the 2024 documentary Chris Brown: A History of Violence.
The documentary, released in October 2024, addressed the allegations of misconduct and sexual assault against Brown.
It features a Jane Doe who sued him for allegedly drugging and assaulting her at a party in 2020 on Sean “Diddy” Combs’s yacht (the case was dismissed without prejudice).
It is reported that in the lawsuit, Brown has accused the producers of the docuseries, Warner Bros. and Ample, of libel and intentional infliction of emotional distress through defamatory claims made against him.
He also said that the evidence provided to substantiate the claims shown in the docuseries is false.
Brown’s legal team has also mentioned that starting in early October 2024, Ample LLC and Warner Bros. “were put on notice that they were promoting and publishing false information in their pursuit of likes, clicks, downloads, and dollars—to the detriment of Chris Brown.”
However, they still aired the documentary on October 27, 2024, even though they were made aware that the docuseries Chris Brown: A History of Violence “was full of lies and deception and violating basic journalist principles.”
The lawsuit also states that the claims put out by Jane Doe against the Look at Me Now artist in the docuseries had been “discredited over and over” again, further adding that she was “a perpetrator of intimate partner violence and aggressor herself.”
The suit however acknowledges the mistakes that the Grammy winner made in the past, also mentioning, the artist “publicly acknowledged and addressed” these mistakes in his 2017 documentary, Chris Brown: Welcome To My Life.
The film additionally details Brown smashing a window at Good Morning America in 2011, allegedly throwing a brick through his mother’s windscreen in 2013, punching a female fan in 2016 and allegations of verbal and physical abuse and death threats by another ex-girlfriend, Karrueche Tran.
Brown was also sued by his ex-manager in 2016, who said Brown punched him multiple times in the head and neck; they settled out of court in 2019. In July, four concertgoers claimed Brown and his entourage “attacked and brutally beat” them after a concert, and are awaiting trial.
The suit by Brown, filed in Los Angeles superior court, accuses Discovery and production company Ample Entertainment of “promoting and publishing false information in their pursuit of likes, clicks, downloads and dollars and to the detriment” of Brown despite “knowing that it was full of lies and deception and violating basic journalist principles.”
The suit claimed Warner Bros. failed to conduct thorough fact-checking and intentionally sensationalised the narrative for profit. The singer maintained that the series falsely insinuates a pattern of abusive behaviour, ignoring critical context and legal outcomes in several cases.
He also accused the network of perpetuating a public smear campaign, asserting that he was not allowed to present his side of the story during the production.
“To put it simply, this case is about the media putting their own profits over the truth. They did so after being provided proof that their information was false, and their storytelling ‘Jane Doe’ had not only been discredited over and over but was in fact a perpetrator of intimate partners violence and aggressor herself,” the complaint alleged.
“Mr. Brown has never been found guilty of any sex-related crime…but this documentary states in every available fashion that he is a serial rapist and sexual abuser,” they said.
The lawsuit detailed that Brown’s career and personal relationships have suffered significant harm since the release of the documentary. His lawyers argue that Warner Bros.’ actions constitute defamation, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Brown is seeking $500 million in damages for lost opportunities, reputational harm, and emotional trauma.
“Mr Brown has never been found guilty of any sex-related crime … but this documentary states in every available fashion that he is a serial rapist and sexual abuser.”
“This case is about protecting the truth. Despite being provided with evidence disproving their claims, the producers of this documentary intentionally promoted false and defamatory information, knowingly disregarding their ethical obligations as journalists,” Brown’s lawyer, Levi McCathern said.
Warner Bros. has yet to comment on the lawsuit, though the series has drawn criticism from fans and other observers, some of whom view it as exploiting past controversies. Meanwhile, Brown’s legal team has vowed to ensure accountability for what they call a “calculated and malicious attack” on his character.
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