UPDATED 1/23/25, 7:29 a.m. ET: Levi McCathern, Chris Brown's lawyer, has been interviewed by TMZ in the wake of their defamation lawsuit over the A History of Violence documentary.
Per McCathern, the production at the root of the suit is an example of people trying to “exploit” and “make money” off of a celebrity.
“Where this could be stopped and where the responsibly has to lie is with people like Warner Bros.,” McCathern said, as seen below. “When you have giant companies with all of these smart people that are in there making these decisions, and the decision is we’re gonna take this one girl who’s been completely discredited’s story and protect her identity and treat her like a victim and put this out there for the public, and we’re gonna smash these celebrities and we’re gonna ruin their life because it will make Warner Bros. a little bit more money, that’s not right.”
Later, McCathern reiterated the suit’s argument that the production was about both profiting off of, and damaging, his client’s name. As McCathern argued, “people are ore important than companies,” regardless of their status in life.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for ID, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, has issued a response after being contacted by Complex for comment on the lawsuit.
“We stand behind the production and will vigorously defend ourselves against this lawsuit,” an ID spokesperson said via email.
Complex has viewed Brown’s 39-page defamation filing, which sees those behind the production being accused of moving forward with its release despite allegedly “knowing that it was full of lies.” Furthermore, it’s alleged that “proof that their information was false” had been provided prior to the doc's airing.
See original story below.
Chris Brown has filed a $500 million defamation suit over the recent documentary A History of Violence.
As Variety reports, citing court docs, those behind the Investigation Discovery production, including Warner Bros. Discovery and Ample Entertainment, are accused of knowingly “promoting and publishing false information in the pursuit of likes, clicks, downloads, and dollars.” This was done, the suit alleges, “to the detriment of Chris Brown.”
The doc is alleged to be “full of lies and deception,” with an unidentified accuser featured in the prodction described as having been repeatedly “discredited” in connection with her claims against the 11:11 artist.
Of note, and mentioned in multiple reports in connection with the defamation suit, is that Brown’s legal team concedes that the singer has made “past mistakes,” which he himself addressed in his own documentary back in 2017. Lawyers argue, however, that Brown has evolved in the years since, alleging that the production at the center of the new lawsuit was built on falsehoods.
Complex has reached out to Brown’s legal team, as well as to reps for Warner Bros. Discovery and Ample, for comment. This story may be updated.
A History of Violence, released last year, isn’t the first WBD production to spur a defamation lawsuit. Last May, it was reported that Nickelodeon alum Dan Schneider had alleged defamation in a suit over Quiet on Set.
Ample, named in Brown’s suit, has also been behind other recent titles in the doc space. Among them are Diddy: Making of a Bad Boy, which hit Peacock this month, and This Is the Zodiac Speaking, a Netflix release.
Tuesday evening, Brown shared a press release to Instagram detailing his lawsuit, urging fans to “read.” In the statement, Brown’s attorney, Levi McCathern, said the defamation case is “about protecting the truth,” alleging that “evidence” had been provided against the doc’s claims.
“This case is about protecting the truth,” McCathern said. “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.”
Per McCathern’s office, a portion of the $500 million sought in the lawsuit will be put toward sexual abuse survivors.