Attorneys for Warner Bros. and Ample LLC state in new court papers that judgment should be entered in their clients’ favor in a defamation suit brought by Chris Brown regarding the documentary, “Chris Brown: A History of Violence.”
Brown’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit seeks $500 million for what he says were false sexual assault allegations leveled against him in the production. But in court papers filed Friday with Judge Colin Leis, attorneys for Warner Bros. and Ample deny Brown’s allegations and cite multiple defenses, including that the singer’s claims “arise from the exercise of the right of free speech” and are barred by the “libel-proof plaintiff doctrine.”
The doctrine states that people with extremely negative reputations, or those whose reputations are already widely damaged, may have a diminished ability to sue for libel.
The defense attorneys state in their pleadings that Brown should “take nothing by this action” and that judgment should be entered in the defense’s favor with a recovery of attorneys’ fees.
In his suit filed Jan. 21, Brown accuses the media of “putting their own profits over the truth” and says the defendants aired the October 2024 documentary “knowing that it was full of lies and deception.”
Brown has never been found guilty of any sex-related crime, but the documentary states “in every available fashion that he is a serial rapist and sexual abuser,” the suit states.
The R&B singer pleaded guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009 and has had numerous other brushes with the law over the years.
According to the suit, the woman at the center of the documentary has been discredited for her allegations against Brown and any responsible journalist should have recognized the red flags her conduct raised. The alleged defamatory content in the documentary has caused significant harm to Brown’s reputation, career and business opportunities and discredits actual survivors of violence, the suit states.
Brown, 35, also alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress and says he will donate a portion of damages he may receive to survivors of sexual abuse. He also seeks punitive damages.