Chris Brown's $500 Million Defamation Lawsuit Over 'A History of Violence' Doc Dismissed

A judge says Investigation Discovery complied with journalistic standards in its 2024 documentary chronicling domestic and sexual abuse allegations against Chris Brown.

via: Complex

Chris Brown’s defamation lawsuit against the companies behind the 2024 documentary Chris Brown: A History of Violence has been dismissed by a judge.

As reported by Billboard, a court order issued on Monday (Jan. 12) dismissed the $500 million defamation lawsuit, which Brown filed against Warner Bros. Discovery and Ample Entertainment. The 36-year-old singer-songwriter filed the lawsuit last January and accused the team behind the project of “promoting and publishing false information in the pursuit of likes, clicks, downloads, and dollars.”

The documentary delves into the various assault and sexual abuse allegations against Brown, including a woman who alleged that he raped her on Diddy’s yacht in 2020. In his lawsuit, Brown’s legal team asserted that the woman’s claims have been disproven by the inconsistencies in her account, and how she concealed various text messages that could have been used as evidence after she reported the alleged incident to the authorities.

“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 the dismissal order, claiming that the documentary presents a balanced view. “Media defendants thus presented a ‘fair and true’ report of [the woman’s] statements and the judicial record and proceedings.”

Brown’s lawsuit also accused Warner Bros. Discovery and Ample Entertainment of defaming him with the inclusion of an interview with writer Scaachi Koul, who said that Brown has a "predisposition for punching women in the face.” However, the judge argued that Brown previously “admitted to punching the signer Rihanna,” and Brown “presents no evidence that Scaachi Koul’s opinions… are false.”

In 2009, Brown assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna, leaving her with severe bruising on her face. That same year, he pleaded guilty to felony assault and was ordered to serve five years of probation, one year of domestic violence counseling, and six months of community service. Several other women have accused him of violence, including the woman who alleged that he raped her on Diddy’s yacht in 2020. That lawsuit, however, was dismissed.