The lawsuit was filed in Harris County district court last week and names Live Nation and Dallas rapper Yella Beezy among its defendants. Damarcus Powell, Charles Bush, Larry Parker and Joseph Lewis are named as plaintiffs in the case. Their attorney Tony Buzbee posted a statement to Instagram on Monday that lays out the allegations alongside a photo of Brown in court wearing an orange jumpsuit.
“We filed suit last night alleging that on Saturday night in Fort Worth, entertainer Chris Brown, along with his entourage, attacked and brutally beat several men who had just attended his concert,” Buzbee wrote. “Multiple police reports have been made. At least one of the men beaten remains hospitalized. Chris Brown reportedly has a long history of violence and has been arrested or accused of assault on at least ten occasions. Enough!”
TMZ Hip Hop first reported that the complaint alleges that the plaintiffs were invited backstage following Brown’s Fort Worth show for a “post-concert hang.” Before leaving, Bush reportedly congratulated Brown on the show before a member of Brown’s entourage asked, “Man, you don’t remember you two were beefing?”
Brown then is said to have replied, “Oh, yeah we were. [...] I don’t forget shit,” before ordering the alleged assault.
One entourage member is accused of throwing a chair at Bush’s head, and Beezy was reportedly told to chase Parker into a dead-end staircase and “fuck him up.”
“No one should have to endure what these clients endured,” said Buzbee in a statement to Variety. “We will seek the maximum amount of damages allowed by law for this egregious conduct.”
On Wednesday, it was announced that Brown had hired Dallas-based attorney Levi McCarthen to represent him. McCarthen released a statement to the press calling the charges “a set up” and claiming that the plaintiffs saw the suit as an opportunity for financial gain, noting that Bush is a personal injury attorney in Dallas.
“Why were these individuals even backstage anywhere near Chris’ dressing room?” McCarthen wrote. “These individuals had a clear agenda when they approached Chris. They were seeking trouble and are directly responsible for the situation that ensued.”
McCarthen went on to claim that that Brown was “unjustly targeted” and implored readers to put themselves in the artist’s shoes.
“Most of us are not pop stars, so the only place we have to dress is our home; our personal space,” McCarthen wrote. “Imagine what reaction YOU would have if someone invaded YOUR personal space with the singular goal of provoking difficulties. Even in this challenging circumstance, Chris never initiated physical contact with anyone.”
This lawsuit is the latest in a long series of legal troubles and accusations of violence against Brown. He most notably pled guilty to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009 and was sued for battery by his former manager in 2016.
Yella Beezy has been arrested in Dallas three times over the last 10 years, with charges including abandoning or endangering a child, unlawfully carrying a weapon and sexual assault.
According to documents obtained by the Observer, the plaintiffs were able to obtain a temporary restraining order against the defendants last Monday. The order gave the defendants five days to make all relevant documents, including recordings, photographs, safety policies and records on the hiring of employees and security at Dickie’s Arena available to the court and the plaintiffs’ representation.
A hearing on the merits of this injunction will take place on Aug. 5.
Representatives for Beezy and Live Nation did not respond to our request for comment.
