Chris Brown Accused of Assaulting Manager
By DON DEBENEDICTIS
"The assault was unprovoked and, regrettably, just another attack in Brown's long history of violent and abusive behavior," manager Michael M. Guirguis says in his lawsuit, filed Thursday by prominent Los Angeles litigator Patricia Glaser of Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro.
After news of the lawsuit broke, Brown quickly responded by posting a pair of videos on Instagram, although he does not mention the manager, known as Mike G, by name in either.
In one, he mocks Mike G as "Mr. Petty Pants." In a second, he seems to say he launched the attack because the manager had been embezzling from him.
"OK, you knew it was coming. ... F--kers gettin' mad and filin' lawsuits 'cause I fired 'em. You're stealing money!" he said, as quoted in news accounts. The lawsuit seeks general, special and punitive damages for assault, battery, false imprisonment and breach of contract.
In response to the Instagram videos, Glaser Weil amended the lawsuit Friday to add a cause of action for defamation. The new portion says Brown knowingly lied when he said Mike G stole money and was fired.
"Brown posted his lies about Mike G and [his management company] NiteVision intentionally and for the purposes of sullying Mike G's reputation and deflecting public attention away from his own abhorrent conduct, demonstrating yet again his utter lack of remorse or accountability for his actions," the amended complaint states. Glaser was in an arbitration and could not be reached for comment Friday. Brown hired former radio executive Mike G as his number-three manager in 2012 and promoted him to be "his sole and exclusive personal manager" in 2014, according to the lawsuit.
His role included helping Brown repair his reputation following the 2009 assault on Rihanna and subsequent felony conviction.
"In addition to guiding Brown's career, Mike G helped Brown get out of the massive debt he was in and encouraged him to stop using drugs and to obtain professional help for his addiction, anger control, and violence issues," the complaint states.
As a result, during Mike G's tenure, Brown put out several hit albums and began touring again after a four-year hiatus. "2015 was Brown's highest grossing year," Mike G boasts in his lawsuit. Then, one day last month, just prior to the start of a European tour, Brown invited Mike G into a room, closed the door and announced, "We're going to go for thirty seconds," according to Thursday's lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The manager knew "go" meant "fight," so he tried to escape, he says.
"Brown sucker punched him in the face" and then "punched him three more times in the face and neck," the complaint states.
Mike G says he went to the hospital, where he was treated for contusions, pain and a severe headache.
"Brown, on the other hand, went on Instagram," the lawsuit says. He allegedly posted a video of himself "smirking and laughing," apparently about the attack. He also boasted about the beating to others, the suit claims. Beyond the physical injuries, Mike G says he "has experienced insomnia, emotional distress, severe anxiety, and stress."
Based on the singer's alleged boasts and threats, the manager also fears for the safety of others around Brown. For instance, Brown threatened to beat a female member of his team "like I did Mike G," the lawsuit alleges.
A lawyer who has represented Brown in previous litigation, Mark J. Geragos of Geragos & Geragos in Los Angeles, said he had not been contacted about the new allegations.
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