Chris Brown has sued Warner Bros. seeking $500 million in damages, alleging that he was labeled a rapist and serial abuser in the Investigation Discovery documentary series, Chris Brown: A History of Violence.
Brown, through his lawyers, filed the lawsuit in California Superior Court in Los Angeles County on Tuesday, Jan. 21. In court documents obtained by People, the lawsuit cites portions of the documentary, which features multiple women detailing their alleged experiences with Brown.
Brown is also suing the documentary's producers for defamation and causing emotional distress through claims made in the documentary.
Brown's claims and the documentary
An accuser, identified as Jane Doe, claims Brown raped her in 2020.
"This case is about media outlets putting their profits above the truth," Tuesday's lawsuit alleges, adding that the outlet aired the documentary "knowing it was full of lies and deception, as well as violating journalistic principles."
The document claims that the woman identified as Doe was previously "discredited" as a "violent person by her partner." The lawsuit states that Brown has never been convicted of any sex crimes, however, the series describes him as a "serial rapist" and "sexual abuser."
Brown's lawyers say he has worked hard to "fix" his reputation over the past decade. In 2009, he was charged with two felonies — assault and menacing — after raping his then-girlfriend, Rihanna. He pleaded guilty on June 22, 2009, and accepted a plea deal that included community service, five years of probation and domestic violence counseling.
“Mr. Brown has grown from those experiences, and his evolution speaks for itself,” the lawsuit continues. “This new production ignores that growth, choosing instead to repackage banal allegations and reinforce them with blatant falsehoods.”
The statement then goes to Doe, who according to the complaint initially sued Brown in January 2022, alleging he sexually assaulted her on Sean "Diddy" Combs' yacht in Miami. The case was dismissed in August 2022 after a police officer discovered text messages sent by Doe "that exposed her lying," Brown's deposition alleges.
Brown's lawsuit includes documentation of a protection order that Doe's boyfriend allegedly obtained in 2021, alleging that she physically attacked him, threatened him with a knife, and online.
The document further claims that the documentary has damaged Brown's career and business opportunities.
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