A judge has dismissed Chris Brown’s defamation lawsuit against the companies behind the 2024 documentary Chris Brown: A History of Violence.
According to Billboard, a court order issued on Monday (Jan. 12) threw out the $500 million lawsuit Brown filed against Warner Bros. Discovery and Ample Entertainment. The 36-year-old artist initially sued the companies last January, accusing them of “promoting and publishing false information in the pursuit of likes, clicks, downloads, and dollars.”
The documentary examines multiple assault and sexual abuse allegations involving Brown, including claims from a woman who alleged he raped her on Diddy’s yacht in 2020. In the lawsuit, Brown’s attorneys argued that her story had been discredited due to inconsistencies and her alleged decision to withhold text messages that could have served as evidence after she reported the incident.
“The court has personally viewed the entire documentary. The documentary recites most of the inconsistencies plaintiff notes, including the existence of the text messages,” Judge Colin Leis wrote in his ruling, stating that the film offered a balanced portrayal. “Media defendants thus presented a ‘fair and true’ report of [the woman’s] statements and the judicial record and proceedings.”
Brown also claimed he was defamed by the inclusion of comments from writer Scaachi Koul, who said he has a “predisposition for punching women in the face.” The judge rejected that argument, noting that Brown had previously “admitted to punching the singer Rihanna,” and added that Brown “presents no evidence that Scaachi Koul’s opinions… are false.”
In 2009, Brown assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna, leaving her with visible facial injuries. He later pleaded guilty to felony assault and was sentenced to five years of probation, one year of domestic violence counseling, and six months of community service. Over the years, several other women have accused him of violence, including the woman connected to the 2020 yacht allegation. That lawsuit was ultimately dismissed.
