Chris Brown Sues for $500M Over Doc Alleging Rape

Chris Brown has filed a $500 million lawsuit over a documentary accusing him of rape and evidence tampering, per the BBC. The R&B star accuses Warner Bros. Discovery and production company Ample Entertainment of defamation over claims made in Chris Brown: A History of Violence, released in October, which also chronicles years of abuse allegations against the singer. He accuses the companies of "promoting and publishing false information in their pursuit of likes, clicks, downloads, and dollars," per the Guardian. The suit also calls out a Jane Doe, who accused Brown of drugging and raping her on Sean "Diddy" Combs' yacht in late 2021. She filed a $20 million lawsuit, which was "dismissed for insufficient evidence," the Guardian reports.

While the documentary largely centered on Jane Doe's allegations, it touched on plenty of other cases: Brown was convicted of a 2009 assault on Rihanna, allegedly broke a window at Good Morning America's studio in 2011, was accused of throwing a rock through his mother's car window in 2013, and pleaded guilty to punching a man outside a hotel that same year. In 2016, a woman accused him of assaulting her at a Las Vegas casino, though police said there wasn't enough evidence to bring charges, per the BBC. That same year, Brown's ex-manager accused him of assault, resulting in a 2019 settlement, per the Guardian. And in 2017, ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran was granted a restraining order against Brown, whom she said punched her and pushed her down stairs.

Brown was twice more accused of sexual assault. In one case, charges were never filed; in the other, the case was settled out of court, per the Guardian. More recently, four concertgoers accused Brown and his entourage of a brutal attack in July, per the outlet. That case is awaiting trail. In his lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Brown slams the documentary for labeling him "a serial rapist and sexual abuser," with his lawyers saying he's "never been found at fault for any type of sexual crime," per the BBC. The defendants' "actions undermine not only Mr. Brown's decade-long efforts to rebuild his life but also the credibility of true survivors of violence," a lawyer adds. The suit notes a portion of any damages would be donated to survivors of sexual violence. (More Chris Brown stories.)