R&B singer Chris Brown, his promoter Live Nation, and members of his entourage are being sued for $50 million over an alleged violent incident after his Texas concert on July 20.
Mr. Brown was at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth as part of his “11:11” tour, where plaintiffs Larry Parker, Joseph Lewis, Charles Bush, and Da Marcus Powell allege in the lawsuit that they were beaten up after being invited backstage following the performance.
“It’s on video that Brown, unprovoked, threw the first punch,” Houston personal injury attorney Tony Buzbee told The Epoch Times. Mr. Buzbee previously defended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during his impeachment trial.
The lawsuit, obtained by The Epoch Times, was filed at Harris County court on July 22 and claims Mr. Brown “participated in and directed” the violence.
In addition to the civil complaint, multiple police reports have been filed, according to Mr. Buzbee.
“At least one of the men beaten remains hospitalized,” Mr. Buzbee said in a July 22 Instagram post. “The lawsuit The Buzbee Law Firm has filed seeks damages on behalf of the four men brutalized, with the hope of obtaining justice for these victims and putting an end, once and for all, to the intolerable and thuggish behavior set forth in the lawsuit.”
The Buzbee Law firm has since filed a second case, on July 24, against Mr. Brown and the defendants on behalf of Frederick Overpeck, a Dickies Arena staff member after he incurred injuries from allegedly attempting to protect the four fans from Mr. Brown and his entourage.
“Mr. Overpeck, who witnessed the attack, alleges that the first punch was thrown by Chris Brown and that Brown directed the violence that occurred,” Mr. Buzbee exclusively told The Epoch Times. “Mr. Overpeck is receiving treatment for a cracked vertebrae in his neck and now cannot work. We hope to have the video that captured the violence very soon.”
Live Nation is being accused of failing to ensure the safety of concertgoers, according to the filing.
On July 22, the Harris County court entered a temporary restraining order against Mr. Brown, Live Nation, and the Dickies Arena, prohibiting the destruction of video, text messages, and other evidence.
The Epoch Times reached out to Mr. Brown and Live Nation for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Attorney Tony Buzbee cross examines witness Jeff Mateer during the impeachment trial for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Senate Chamber at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 6, 2023. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)
“If the Feds see a pattern and determine Chris has guys beating up local promoters or local people involved in music and it’s organized, that could hurt him, too,” Derrick Parker, retired New York Police Department (NYPD) detective, told The Epoch Times.
Mr. Parker is known for his 2007 book “Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations from NYPD’s First Hip-Hop Cop” and was the leader of a special NYPD unit focused on crime in the rap and hip-hop community.
Criminal defense attorney Anthony Osso, who is uninvolved with the case, told The Epoch Times that celebrities are at a higher risk of being set up.
“It goes without saying that celebrities have a larger target on their back,” Mr. Osso said. “Their success is typically broadcast to the general public, and their image is everything, so it’s safe to say that they are susceptible to being victims of a money grab. In a case like this, where physical violence is alleged, we will just have to wait and see what the evidence looks like, ”said Mr. Osso, an attorney with the Cogdell Law Firm in Houston.
The fact that criminal complaints were filed with law enforcement, however, doesn’t bode well for Mr. Brown, according to Mr. Parker.
“If there are police reports, then it’s an open, active investigation, and the detective that gets the case will probably arrest Brown,“ Mr. Parker said. ”It just goes to show you that it doesn’t matter who you are, if you’re a regular person or a famous person, you can’t break the law without consequence.”
Mr. Brown, a Grammy award winner, has previously been arrested or accused of assault on multiple occasions.
In 2023, an alleged assault victim from a London nightclub sued, demanding $16 million in damages, and in 2009, Mr. Brown was convicted of a felony for assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna, also an R&B entertainer. He was subsequently jailed briefly for violating that probation, and in 2017, another girlfriend, Karreuche Tran, requested a restraining order after Mr. Brown allegedly threatened her.
“He has money, but I don’t think he has $50 million he can pay,” Mr. Parker said. “All these lawsuits have got to be hurting him financially because he has to retain legal counsel each time to represent him. He needs better security personnel around him that can guide him to stay out of trouble.”
The actor and songwriter was diagnosed with bipolar two disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in 2014.
Chris Brown and his associates have not been criminally charged at the time of publication of this article.