Chris Brown is asking a California court to throw out the $12.9 million verdict awarded to former housekeeper Maria Avila, arguing that a reference to his 2009 felony assault conviction involving Rihanna unfairly influenced the jury. Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, filed a motion on August 10 seeking a new trial before a different jury. The filing adds a specific new argument to the singer’s earlier effort to overturn the judgment following the June dog-attack trial.
According to Complex, Brown’s attorneys are focusing on a moment during cross-examination when Avila’s lawyer asked whether he was a convicted felon. Brown answered yes, bringing his 2009 guilty plea for felony assault against Rihanna into a case centered on a 2020 dog attack at his Tarzana, California home. His legal team argues that the conviction was unrelated to Avila’s injuries and should not have been used to assess Brown’s credibility.
The defense says the question was especially prejudicial because Brown had previously sought to keep references to the Rihanna case out of the trial. His attorneys contend that allowing jurors to consider the conviction when weighing whether Brown was believable created an unfair risk that they would judge him based on unrelated past conduct. They are asking the court to vacate the verdict and retry the case with a new jury.
Avila’s attorney, Nancy Doumanian, has rejected the defense’s argument and maintained that the jury’s decision was supported by the evidence presented at trial. The underlying lawsuit stems from a December 2020 incident in which Brown’s 200-pound Caucasian Shepherd, Hades, attacked Avila while she was working at the singer’s home. Avila said the mauling caused severe injuries to her face and arm, including permanent disfigurement, nerve damage and vision problems.
Brown admitted some responsibility during the trial but argued that Avila shared fault because, he said, workers at the property had been warned not to approach the dog without security present. The jury ultimately awarded Avila $12.9 million, while her sister Patricia Avila received $885,000 for emotional distress and Maria’s husband, Oscar Olivo, received $50,000. Brown’s lawyers are also challenging the size of the award, arguing that it is not supported by the damages established at trial.
The latest motion is a meaningful update to Brown’s previously reported challenge because it spells out how his attorneys believe the Rihanna reference affected the verdict rather than simply signaling an intent to seek a new trial. A judge will now have to decide whether the disputed cross-examination and the damages award justify setting aside the jury’s decision. Until that ruling is made, the $12.9 million judgment in Avila’s favor remains in place.
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