Chris Brown has filed a $500 million defamation lawsuit against the producers of the Investigation Discovery docuseries “Chris Brown: A History of Violence,” according to a new report.
In the complaint, the “With You” singer, 35, accuses Warner Bros. Discovery, Ample Entertainment and others of promoting and publishing defamatory claims, including that he raped a woman in 2020, despite being supplied with “proof” that counters the allegations, per TMZ.
Brown’s lawsuit alleges that the Jane Doe at the heart of the “A History of Violence” documentary has been discredited multiple times and adds that she previously withdrew a suit she brought against him.
However, other reporting about the docuseries at the time of its release in October 2024 states that the Jane Doe’s $20 million lawsuit brought against Brown in 2022 was dismissed that same year by a judge who cited lack of prosecution.
The woman had made a report to Miami Beach Police but, according to “A History of Violence,” they concluded that her claims were unfounded and that no probable cause existed to charge Brown.
In his lawsuit, Brown also claims that he has never been convicted “of any sex related crime” and blasts the documentary’s producers for dubbing him “a serial rapist and a sexual abuser” in the series.
According to TMZ, the singer goes on to claim the producers ignored facts and chose instead to defame him and his reputation, which he says he spent over ten years repairing in the wake of his 2009 domestic violence incident with his ex-girlfriend Rihanna (Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault in June of that year).
Asserting that he’s taken responsibility for his “past mistakes” and has grown from them, Brown says “A History of Violence” pushes an old narrative “in the name of fame and fortune,” as TMZ puts it.
Brown is seeking $500 million in damages, alleging the docuseries has negatively impacted his reputation, career, and business opportunities, per the court docs. He reportedly plans to donate a portion of the whopping sum to victims of sexual abuse if awarded.
“Chris Brown: A History of Violence” aired on the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network Investigation Discovery in October 2024.
The Jane Doe mentioned in Brown’s lawsuit provided on-camera testimony in the series. Though seen only in silhouette to protect her identity, she said that she was speaking out to “shed light on what really happened.”
“Unless people start speaking up and people actually stop victim blaming the people that do speak up, then that’s the only way he can be stopped,” the accuser said.
“Chris Brown raped me. And I can say that, and I know it for a fact instead of telling myself that it wasn’t,” Doe added. “It was rape.”
Source: newyorkpost