Chris Brown sues Warner Bros. Discovery for $500 million, alleging defamation

Chris Brown has filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery over the 2024 Investigation Discovery docuseries Chris Brown: A History Of Violence. Brown’s suit accuses WBD of “promoting and publishing false information in their pursuit of likes, clicks, downloads and dollars” despite “knowing that it was full of lies and deception and violating basic journalistic principles,” per Rolling Stone. Brown is seeking $500 million in damages.

“To put it simply, this case is about the media putting their own profits over the truth. They did so after being provided proof that their information was false, and their storytelling ‘Jane Doe’ had not only been discredited over and over but was in fact a perpetrator of intimate partners violence and aggressor herself,” the complaint states. “Mr. Brown has never been found guilty of any sex related crime…but this documentary states in every available fashion that he is a serial rapist and sexual abuser.”

Jane Doe, who in the doc anonymously accused Brown of drugging and assaulting her during a yacht party hosted by Sean “Diddy” Combs, is named as a defendant in the suit. Brown’s filing claims that an ex of Doe’s had a restraining order against her due to alleged violence. It further states that her case against Brown was dismissed because she “completely disregarded the facts in an attempt for fame and fortune.”

Brown’s filing cites his “evolution” since the 2009 incident in which he pleaded guilty to felony assault after committing violence against then-girlfriend Rhianna. Since then, Brown has found himself in legal trouble on numerous occasions, including most recently a lawsuit filed in July 2024 seeking $50 million in damages and a temporary restraining order over claims from four male concert attendees of assault and battery, negligence/gross negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Nevertheless, Brown’s defamation suit argues that the ID docuseries “ignores” his “growth, choosing instead to repackage stale accusations while amplifying them with demonstrable falsehoods.”

“This case is about protecting the truth,” Brown’s attorney, Levi McCathern said in a statement (via People). “Despite being provided with evidence disproving their claims, the producers of this documentary intentionally promoted false and defamatory information, knowingly disregarding their ethical obligations as journalists. … Their actions undermine not only Mr. Brown’s decade-long efforts to rebuild his life but also the credibility of true survivors of violence.”