Chris Brown is seeking to overturn a $12.9 million judgment against him in a former housekeeper's dog-attack lawsuit, arguing that the jury's verdict was influenced by testimony about his 2009 assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna.
Brown's lawyers filed a motion arguing that the singer's 2009 felony domestic violence conviction, raised during cross-examination when he was asked about prior convictions, had no bearing on the case and unfairly prejudiced the jury. The lawsuit was brought by Maria Avila, a former housekeeper who was seriously injured after a 200-pound guard dog attacked her at Brown's Los Angeles-area home in December 2020.
Avila's attorney, Nancy Doumanian, told Billboard she expects the request to be denied. "You can't hit the reset button every time a jury holds you accountable. The evidence was overwhelming, the jury got it right," she said. Brown had previously accepted some responsibility for the incident but disputed the size of the award, and his legal team is continuing to fight collection efforts on the judgment.