R&B star Chris Brown launches extraordinary half-billion-dollar lawsuit

Embattled R&B singer Chris Brown has launched an extraordinary $US500 million lawsuit against a major media organisation.

Singer and rapper Chris Brown announced he is filing a $US500 million ($AU800 million) lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery and Ample LLC in response to the 2024 documentary Chris Brown: A History of Violence, which explores the years of allegations surrounding Brown.

Brown shared a statement from his lawyers announcing the lawsuit on social media. The statement has received north of 320,000 likes in under 24 hours.

The statement accuses the defendants of “prioritising profits over journalistic integrity” by releasing the documentary in October 2024 “despite being notified of the false and misleading narrative” it featured.

“In doing so, they sensationalised debunked claims to drive viewership and revenue, recklessly damaging Mr. Brown’s reputation and spreading false information to the public,” the statement reads. “To be clear, Mr. Brown has never been found at fault for any type of sexual crime.”

Chris Brown on stage … Picture: Scott Roth/Invision/AP

… and after a 2018 arrest. Picture: Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office via Getty

Chris Brown: A History of Violence premiered as part of US TV network Investigation Discovery’s third annual No Excuse for Abuse campaign, released during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

A summary for the documentary notes the dark turn Brown’s career took after he made headlines for assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009: “This arrest put a spotlight on Brown and his adult life involving multiple violent incidents … The documentary provides thoughtful reflections into each survivor’s experience and the psychological destruction in the aftermath of their abuse.”

The statement from Brown’s lawyers specifically names Daisia Chantel Frank, who is identified as “Jane Doe” in the doc. The lawyers accused Ample, LLC, and Warner Bros Discovery of choosing to “amplify her defamatory lies” in the documentary, claiming she “actively pursued” a “consensual” relationship with Brown.

Brown was sued by a Jane Doe in 2022 and accused of sexual assault and battery after he allegedly raped her on Sean Combs’ yacht, per The Hollywood Reporter. 

Brown in court in 2015, during one of his frequent brushes with the law. Picture: Lucy Nicholson – Pool/Getty

Court documents obtained by TMZ shows Brown claiming the Jane Doe at the centre of the documentary has been “repeatedly discredited.” Brown accuses those behind the documentary of labelling him “a serial rapist and a sexual abuser,” despite never having been found guilty in court of any sex related crime.

The court documents also reportedly show Brown taking accountability for his “past mistakes,” referring to the 2009 assault on Rihanna.

Brown’s lawyers conclude the statement by noting an unspecified “portion” of the $US500 million will be donated to survivors of sexual abuse.

They also maintain that the only “definitive account of his experiences and growth” is in the 2017 documentary Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life.

This story originally appeared on Decider and is republished here with permission.