Chris Brown’s Ex-Housekeeper Can Take Cut of Tour Profits to Pay $13M Dog Attack Verdict, Judge Says — Billboard

RESOLVING THE LEDGER

Chris Brown must pay a cut of revenue from his R&B Tour stadium concerts with Usher to a former housekeeper who won a $13 million verdict after she was mauled by the singer’s dog, a Los Angeles judge says.

Attorneys for Maria Avila, who was severely injured by the dog while cleaning Brown’s home in 2020, demanded the touring money last month, telling the judge that Brown has “made no effort to satisfy any portion of the judgment” since it was handed down in late June .

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In an order on Thursday (Aug. 20), Judge Huey P. Cotton granted that request, ruling that “all present and future nonexempt rights to payment” to Brown must be assigned to Avila. He cited a huge list of potential revenue sources from the tour, which has already earned more than $100 million total.

The judge’s decision did not come with a lengthy written opinion explaining the judge’s rationale, and neither side immediately returned requests for comment. Brown is currently seeking to overturn the verdict , and will likely seek to challenge the assignment order, too.

Avila sued Brown in 2021, alleging she was attacked by a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd named Hades while emptying trash outside the singer’s Tarzana, Calif., home. The dog — an aggressive breed used as guard dogs at Russian prisons — allegedly ripped off “large chunks” of Avila’s skin, leading to permanent facial disfigurement, scarring and vision loss.

Though Brown had accepted some liability for negligence, the case went to trial in June, where the singer testified he had personally warned Avila that his dogs were “absolutely not” friendly and that she shouldn’t go outside alone. He told jurors they were not pets and had instead been purchased as a security measure to guard against break-ins. But jurors ultimately sided with Avila, awarding her $12.9 million in damages.

Usher and Brown opened the R&B Tour (short for their last names, Raymond and Brown) in June and are set to play stadiums across North America until December. After just 16 shows, the tour had already earned more than $115 million by Aug. 1, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.

Last month, Avila’s attorneys argued that money should go to her until the huge verdict was paid off. They told the judge they had “repeatedly attempted to communicate with defendant’s attorneys regarding payment, but those communications have gone unanswered.” Brown fired back by urging the judge to deny the request, arguing Avila’s attorneys were seeking a “sweeping” and “overbroad” court order.

Chris Brown’s Ex-Housekeeper Can Take Cut of Tour Profits to Pay $13M Dog Attack Verdict, Judge Says — Billboard | AIPROPX