the law

Chris Brown Accused of Rape in a $20 Million Lawsuit

Admitted abuser and accused rapist Chris Brown. Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

Chris Brown is facing a new rape allegation. An unnamed woman filed a $20 million lawsuit against the R&B singer, obtained by Vulture, which alleges he drugged and raped her on a yacht docked at a home owned by Diddy on Star Island in Miami. Per the filing, the woman is a dancer, model, and musician who says Brown invited her to the yacht. TMZ first reported the lawsuit. Brown has not directly responded to the case, and his representative did not reply to a request for comment. He did, however, allude to a perceived “pattern†of rape and abuse allegations on his Instagram Story.

The woman says a friend FaceTimed her from Brown’s yacht on December 30, 2020, while she was vacationing in Miami, and Brown invited her during the call. Later that day, she went on the yacht, where she says Brown gave her two drinks and allegedly assaulted her in a bedroom. She says she felt “disoriented,†“physically unstable,†and sleepy, per the lawsuit.

This is just the latest allegation against Brown, who is described in the filing as having a “penchant for assault.†The singer pleaded guilty to felony assault of his ex-girlfriend, Rihanna, in 2009. He was arrested in 2016 for allegedly threatening a woman with a gun, although those charges were later dropped. Brown’s ex-girlfriend, Karrueche Tran, was granted a domestic violence restraining order against the musician in 2017. In 2019, Brown was arrested in Paris on a rape claim, with those charges also later dropped and Brown eventually suing the accuser for defamation.

Despite Brown’s history of abuse and public knowledge of his assault allegations, he has maintained his music career. Brown’s last solo album, 2019’s Indigo, featured musicians including Justin Bieber, H.E.R., Lil Wayne, and Nicki Minaj, and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. “Go Crazy,†off his 2020 collaborative album with Young Thug, hit No. 3 on the Hot 100 in March 2021. He’s set to release a new album, Breezy, this year. The woman’s filing says, “The time has come to send a message to Defendant Chris Brown that enough is enough.â€

Chris Brown Accused of Rape in New $20 Million Lawsuit