Chris Brown has filed a $500 million defamation lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery over Investigation Discovery (ID)’s Chris Brown: A History of Violence documentary, which the singer says includes false sexual assault claims against him.
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Brown, 35, filed the complaint on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging the documentary’s producers intentionally used sexual assault claims and evidence tampering from an unreliable accuser. The lawsuit also claims the company relied on accounts from several women allegedly associated with Brown, according to The Hollywood Reporter and People.
Several women shared their alleged claims against Brown in the documentary
The documentary was released in October, with a Jane Doe accuser at the forefront of the project, who made sexual assault and domestic violence allegations against him. She claims that the R&B singer raped her in 2020, but his attorneys have since pushed back on those claims.
“This case is about the media putting their own profits over the truth,” according to the lawsuit obtained by People, emphasizing that the network released the doc “knowing that it was full of lies and deception and violating journalistic principles.”
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The accuser sued Brown in 2022 for sexual assault and battery
The complaint also references the 2022 lawsuit filed by Jane Doe against Brown, in which she accused him of sexual assault and battery for allegedly raping her aboard disgraced hip-hop producer Sean “Diddy” Combs’ yacht in Miami Beach. Although the lawsuit was dismissed “without prejudice,“ it remains eligible to be refiled at any time, per THR.
Brown also mentioned that the accuser fabricated her claims and she lacked believability after police retrieved text messages from her that “exposed her dishonesty.“ The woman’s “history of violence and erratic behavior should have raised red flags for any responsible journalist,“ according to the lawsuit obtained by THR, adding that Brown had filed a domestic violence restraining order against Jane Doe.
The Virginia native also has evidence against Jane Doe’s claims. His attorneys said Brown had spent the last decade rebranding himself and his career and called out the documentary’s producers’ portrayal of him.
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Brown plans to donate to victims of sexual abuse
“This case is about protecting the truth,” Brown’s attorney, Levi McCathern, said in a release shared with People. “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.”
“Their actions undermine not only Mr. Brown’s decade-long efforts to rebuild his life but also the credibility of true survivors of violence.”
Brown is suing Warner Bros., Ample, and the documentary’s producers for Brown is suing for “alleged defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and using his name and likeness for promotional purposes,” per People.
The “Sensational” artist stated that he plans to donate a portion of the $500 million to support victims of sexual abuse.
