Chris Brown’s past with Rihanna will reportedly stay out of his $90 million dog bite trial.
A judge has ruled that lawyers for Brown’s former housekeeper, Maria Avila, cannot bring up his 2009 assault case involving Rihanna during the civil trial over an alleged dog attack at his Los Angeles home, according to court filings reviewed by TMZ. The court reportedly found that the trial should focus solely on the dog-bite allegations.
Avila is suing Brown after claiming his dog, Hades, attacked and mauled her in 2020 while she was taking out trash at the singer’s home. Brown has denied responsibility for her injuries and previously claimed Avila may have provoked the dog.
The pretrial decision is a huge ‘W’ for Brown’s legal team, who argued that mentioning the Rihanna case would unfairly turn jurors against him and that the 2009 case had no connection to Avila’s claims.
Brown and Rihanna dated from 2007 to 2009. Their relationship ended after Brown was convicted of a felony for assaulting the “Umbrella” singer in February 2009, following a pre-Grammy party in Los Angeles. Rihanna suffered visible injuries in the assault. Photographs of Rihanna’s bruised face shocked the public at the time.
The former couple briefly reconciled in late 2012 before ending their relationship for good in May 2013.