Chris Brown's Legal Issues and Controversies, Explained: A Complete Timeline of the Singer's Multiple Domestic Disputes and Brawls

Mar. 15, 2025

Chris Brown attends ‘The Lost Warhols’ Collection exhibit at HYDE Sunset: Kitchen + Cocktails on November 4, 2015 in West Hollywood, California.Photo: Tibrina Hobson/Getty

Chris Brownhas experienced a number of controversies and legal issues throughout his career.

While the domestic violence incident in 2009 involving then-girlfriendRihannaremains the most infamous of Brown’s legal troubles, he has been charged with a number of accusations over the years.

In July 2024, the singer’s legal issues continued withmultiple new assault allegations. Four concertgoers alleged that Brown and members of his entourage assaulted them backstage after a show. The men filed a lawsuit against them and Live Nation for $50 million. Reps for Brown and Live Nation did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment at the time.

Later that same year, ID released a documentary titledChris Brown: A History of Violencein which several women spoke about Brown’s alleged abuse, including Jane Doe who claimed that the “Loyal” singerraped her in 2020onSean “Diddy” Combs' yacht. His attorneys denied the claims.

On Jan. 21, Brownfiled a lawsuit against Warner Bros.for $500 million — claiming that the documentary falsely painted him as a “serial rapist” and “sexual abuser.”

Here is a complete history of Chris Brown’s legal troubles.

February 8, 2009: Chris Brown physically assaults then-girlfriend Rihanna

Rihanna walks out of a preliminary hearing at the Superior Court of Los Angeles County on June 23, 2009, in Los Angeles, Calif.Pool/Getty

Pool/Getty

Brown and then-girlfriend Rihanna had an argument thatescalated into physical violenceon the part of Brown. Rihanna was left with visible facial injuries and was hospitalized; Brown was subsequentlycharged with felony assaultand making criminal threats on March 5, 2009. He pleaded guilty to a felony on June 22 of that year andaccepted a plea deal of community labor, five years' probation and domestic violence counseling.

After completing the yearlong domestic violence course in 2010,Reuters reportedthat Brown wrote on X in a since-deleted post, “I have enough self respect and decency to be proud of accomplishing this DV class. Boyz run from [their] mistakes. Men learn from them!!!”

June 2010: Chris Brown is denied a visa to the U.K.

Brown was planning a short tour in the U.K. and Ireland but was subsequently denied a visa to the U.K. over the assault on Rihanna.

March 22, 2011: Chris Brown allegedly has meltdown backstage

June 14, 2012: Chris Brown is involved in a New York City nightclub brawl

Chris Brown in 2011.

Eight people were injured in a brawl in an N.Y.C. nightclub involving Brown,Drake, NBA starTony Parkerand various members of the trio’s entourage. Brown later made a diss record about Drake (a remix of Chief Keef’s “I Don’t Like”), and Brown’s attorney claimed that Drake was the instigator of the brawl, though the pair later appeared together in a comedic skit at the 2014 ESPY Awards, suggesting they made up.

Seven years after the incident, Brown and Drakeparodied the brawlas a dance battle in the 2019 music video for Brown’s song “No Guidance,” featuring Drake.

October-November 2012: Chris Brown violates his restraining order

January 2013: Chris Brown clashes with Frank Ocean

Brown and his entourage clashed with fellow singer-songwriterFrank Oceanand his group outside a West Hollywood recording studio, reportedly over a parking space. One of Brown’s entourage reportedly used a homophobic slur against Ocean, andBrown allegedly punched Oceanand threatened to shoot him,according to an incident report TMZ obtained. However, Ocean declined to press charges.

July 2013: Chris Brown’s probation is revoked

Chris Brown attends the Chris Brown Party VIP Room Saint Tropez on July 31, 2014, in Saint Tropez, France.Foc Kan/WireImage

Foc Kan/WireImage

Brown’s probation was revoked after his involvement in an alleged hit-and-run in L.A. Earlier in 2013, reports surfacedvia theLos Angeles Timesthat questioned the validity of Brown’s community service — he appeared to be credited with having served time during periods in which he was out of the country. The hit-and-run charges were eventually dropped, but Brown was required to serve an additional 1,000 hours of community service.

October 27, 2013: Chris Brown is arrested for felony assault

Brown was charged with felony assault in Washington D.C., when he and his bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, were involved in a"physical altercation" with two menoutside of the W Hotel, according to police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump. Brown and Hollosy spent 36 hours in jail and appeared in court on Monday, Oct. 28, 2013.

According to CNN, the charges against Brown and his bodyguard were reduced to simple assault misdemeanors, and the two were released without bail. Brown was brought back to California to appear in court in L.A. and was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from the man he was accused of assaulting in D.C.

October-November 2013: Chris Brown enters a rehab facility

Brown voluntarily entered a rehab facility, only to be kicked out for violent behavior on Nov. 14, 2013,according to theLos Angeles Times. Brownreportedly smashed his mother’s car windowwith a rock during a family session, per his probation officer. Six days later, Brown was sentenced to three months at alive-in anger management rehab facility.

February 2014: Chris Brown is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder

Chris Brown in 2014.Ethan Miller/BET/Getty Images for BET

March 14, 2014: Chris Brown is kicked out of Malibu treatment facility

The Los Angeles Country Sheriff’s confirmed to PEOPLE that Brown was arrested and said in a statement that the singer “was cooperative when taken into custody.”

On May 9, 2014, he was sentenced to 131 days in jail for probation violation,according to TIME.

June 2, 2014: Chris Brown is granted early release from jail

Los Angeles Timesreportedthat Brown was released early from jail. However, he remained on probation and was ordered to complete his remaining community service and see a psychiatrist twice a week.

September 2, 2014: Chris Brown pleads guilty to assault

Chris Brown (left) appears in court with his attorney Mark Geragos (right) for a probation violation hearing on March 17, 2014, in Los Angeles, Calif.Lucy Nicholson/Pool/Getty

Lucy Nicholson/Pool/Getty

Brownpleaded guilty to the assaultfrom the October 2013 incident in Washington, D.C. He admitted to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to time served. Brown spent two days in a District of Columbia jail.

“I would like to say to the court that I’m sorry,” Brown said during the hearing, though he didn’t provide further comment as he left court.

January 15, 2015: Chris Brown’s probation is revoked

Brown’s probation was revoked when a judge learned he had traveled outside Los Angeles County without prior consent for a private performance at a nightclub in San Jose, Calif. An altercation during the performance escalated into gunfire, and five people were shot.

February 24, 2015: Chris Brown says he is banned from entering Canada

Brown confirmed that he was denied entry into Canada based on his criminal history just hours before he was set to perform in the first of two performances in Toronto.

“The good people of the Canadian government wouldn’t allow me entry,” Brown wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “I’ll be back this summer and will hopefully see all my Canadian fans!”

Live Nation issued a statement, saying the “New Flame” singer’s ban was due to “immigration issues.”

May 5, 2015: Chris Brown allegedly hits a man in Las Vegas

Brown was briefly named in a misdemeanor battery case in Las Vegas, where a man alleged the singer hit him after an argument over a basketball game at the Palms Casino Resort. However, the mandeclined to press charges.

Brown, however, denied any involvement in the incident, with his publicist, Nicole Perna,telling CNN in a statement, Chris “was not in an altercation with” the “unruly individual” who “showed up uninvited and was removed from the premises.”

July 24, 2015: Chris Brown is detained in the Philippines

Chris Brown attends a progress hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court on Jan. 15, 2015, in Los Angeles, Calif.Lucy Nicholson/Pool/Getty

Brown was allowed to leave the Philippines after being detained for several days following a fraud investigation over his cancellation of a New Year’s Eve concert in 2014. The organizers alleged that Brown had canceled the show after he received the $1 million to perform.

“I’ve done nothing wrong,” Brown wrote in a post on X, perCBS, claiming that he returned to the country to do a show to make up for the canceled concert.

December 2015: Chris Brown cancels his tour

Brown canceled his tour of Australia and New Zealand a week before the first show. In late September 2015, Australia’s immigration minister, Peter Dutton, warned Brown his visa would be denied, based on his criminal history, if he could not show just cause to the contrary.

From left: Damon T. Williams, Devin Fassberg, Damon Williams, Chris Brown, Josefa Paganuzzi and Mike G. as Chris Brown is presented with a commemorative plaque celebrating him being named an MC Icon and being the top artist of all time on Music Choice On Demand at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on Aug. 30, 2015, in Wantagh, N.Y.Noam Galai/Getty

Noam Galai/Getty

In June 2016, Michael Guirguis (a.k.a. Mike G), the manager Brown hired to help him rehabilitate his image after he assaulted Rihanna, filed a lawsuit against Brown, claiming the singer had “brutally” attacked him on May 10,perUSA Today.

According to The Blast, the matter was settled out of court in 2019 after several years of litigation.

August 2016: Chris Brown is arrested on suspicion of assault

Brown was arrested onsuspicion of assault with a deadly weaponfollowing a nine-hour standoff with police at his L.A. mansion after a woman called 911 claiming he had allegedly threatened her with a gun,according to theLos Angeles Times. Charges were never filed.

April 2017: Chris Brown allegedly punches photographer

Tampa police said Brown allegedly “sucker punched” a 28-year-old club photographer during a paid appearance at AJA Channelside. The alleged victim claimed that Brown attacked him because he was taking photos after Brown arrived at the venue for an after-party “showing,” police said. Brown was not arrested or charged at the time.

In July 2018, Brown wascharged with felony batteryafter a performance in West Palm Beach, Fla., for the April 2017 incident in Tampa. However, theTampa Bay Timesreportedthat the charge was dropped in August 2019 because of “insufficient evidence to prosecute.”

June 2017: Chris Brown is ordered to stay away from ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran

Karrueche Tran and Chris Brown in 2015.Noam Galai/Getty

PEOPLE confirmed that a judge granted Brown’s ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran arestraining order against the singerfor five years. The model alleged in court that Brown texted her violent threats, such as, “I can get my money back and I’m tired of playing games,” along with, “B—- I will beat the s— out of you” and “I promise you I will make your life hell.”

Tran also alleged Brown punched her in the stomach twice and pushed her down the stairs several years ago while he was on probation for his assault against Rihanna. However, no police report was filed at the time.

After a tumultuous on-and-off-again relationship, Tran and Brown officially split in late 2014.

An unidentified woman sued Brown and two others after she was allegedly held down andsexually assaulted in the singer’s homeduring a party on Feb. 23, 2017.

She sued the trio for sexual battery, battery and assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Brown’s lawyer, Mark Geragos,denied the allegations to TMZ.

“In another era, we might have called this a shakedown,” Geragos said of the lawsuit. “None of these allegations are true. Nobody has done anything with this … there’s no case here. Chris is a target.”

In April 2020, the lawsuit was dismissed andsettled out of court.

December 2018: Chris Brown is charged with possession of a restricted species

Brown was charged with two criminal counts of having a restricted species — in this case, acapuchin monkey— without a permit. Each count carried a maximum sentence of six months in prison,TMZ reported.

Patrick Foy, captain with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told PEOPLE they obtained a search warrant earlier in 2018 and visited Brown’s home in January 2019. The singer wasn’t home at the time, but others there relinquished the monkey. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife filed their evidence with the L.A. City Attorney, who then filed charges.

According to the Associated Press, prosecutors later dropped charges against Brown for possessing the monkey without a permit after the artist agreed to forfeit his rights to Fiji and pay $35,000 for the monkey’s care.

January 2019: Chris Brown is detained in Paris

Rapper Chris Brown is seen on Jan. 17, 2019, in Paris, France, during Fashion Week.Marc Piasecki/Getty

Marc Piasecki/Getty

PEOPLE confirmed that Brown was detained in Paris on potential charges of aggravated rape and drug infractions after a woman filed a complaint with police.

“We confirm the detention in custody of Mr. Chris Brown and two other individuals oncharges of aggravated rape and narcotics offenses. Police custody is still in progress,” the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office told PEOPLE in a statement at the time.

Brown denied the accusations. The probe was later dropped, and Brownfiled a defamation suitagainst the woman.

June 18, 2021: Chris Brown is accused of striking women at his home

Chris Brown performs during the Tycoon Music Festival at State Farm Arena on Feb. 13, 2024, in Atlanta, Ga.Prince Williams/WireImage

Prince Williams/WireImage

On June 18, 2021, L.A. police responded to a call from a woman at Brown’s home claiming that a male suspect struck her in the back of the head. Brown was no longer at home when police arrived, but the officers recorded a crime report.

A woman identified as “Jane Doe"filed a $20 million lawsuitagainst Brown on Jan. 27, 2022, alleging that he drugged and raped her on Dec. 30, 2020, on a yacht in Miami. The woman also detailed two subsequent alleged encounters with Brown, including an instance in August 2021 when, she claimed, Brown became “irate” because she would not respond to his alleged sexual advances.

While not directly addressing the claims, the day following the lawsuit, Brown shared a message on his Instagram Stories saying, “Whenever I’m releasing music or projects, ‘THEY’ try to pull some real bulls—.”

Radar Online reportedin March 2022 that the accuser’s lawyers dropped her case after Miami Beach police shared months of text messages between Brown and Doe. There were messages in which Doe repeatedly asked Brown if she could see him again after the alleged rape.

In August 2022, a judge dismissed the case, perNBC Palm Springs.

February 2023: Chris Brown is sued for allegedly beating up man at London nightclub

A man named Abe Diaw filed a lawsuit against Brownin February 2023, alleging the “Under the Influence” singer hit him in the face with a bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila while at London nightclub TAPE.

Diaw accused Brown of “beating” him on the head with “crushing blows” that left him unconscious before he “continued to ruthlessly stomp” on him for “30 seconds,” per the lawsuit. The man ended up hospitalized with “lacerations on his head” and “torn ligaments in his leg,” the lawsuit claimed.

Seeking $16 million, Diaw’s case has not yet been settled but is still moving forward despite Brown’s tour promoter filing a motion to strike part of Diaw’s allegations,Radar Online reported. The motion was denied in April 2024.

February 27, 2024: Chris Brown is ordered to fulfill payments on more than $2 million unpaid bank loan

Chris Brown performs in support of his ‘11:11’ Tour opener at Little Caesars Arena on June 5, 2024, in Detroit, Mich.Scott Legato/Getty

Scott Legato/Getty

In 2018, Brown and fellow investors took out a loan from City National Bank (CNB) to open two Popeyes Chicken franchises. In September 2023, the institution sued them for allegedly defaulting on the loan, claimingthe musician and his investors owed $2,140,901.74in unpaid principal and interest.

July 21, 2024: Chris Brown is sued for $50 million for allegedly assaulting 4 concertgoers

On July 21, 2024, a lawsuit was filed against Brown for $50 million dollarsfor the alleged “brutal, violent assault"of four men backstage following a show in Fort Worth, Texas. Several members of the singer’s entourage and Brown’s11:11tour promoter, Live Nation, are also being sued.

The men accused Brown and his entourage of throwing chairs at them, and repeatedly kicking, stomping, and beating them,” the complaint stated.

Additionally, Frederick R. Overpeck, a staff member and head of back security at Dickies Arena, issuing Brown and his entourage for $15 million, claiming he was injured and now can’t work after helping the four men who had allegedly been assaulted.

Reps for Brown, Live Nation, and the other men named in the lawsuits did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

October 27, 2024: Woman accuses Chris Brown of raping her on Diddy’s yacht

Chris Brown in 2024.Pierre Suu/Getty

Pierre Suu/Getty

“[Brown] had handed me a drink. I’m not even sure … this is when my memory starts getting a little bit weird,” Doe claimed. “I don’t remember if I saw him pour it, but I just drank it and he just hands me another drink. As I’m standing there, I did start to feel tired and my body was feeling a little heavy.”

She went on to allege that Brown took her to a bedroom and forced her to have sex. Brown’s attorneys said Doe’s claims were completely fabricated.

January 21, 2025: Chris Brown sues Warner Bros. for $500 million over documentary

Chris Brown in 2018.Kevin Mazur/Getty

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Brown filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros., Ample and the documentary’s producers for $500 million, alleging he was falsely labeled as a “serial rapist” and “sexual abuser” in ID’sChris Brown: A History of Violence.

The singer’s attorneys claimed that the doc is “full of lies and deception” and that Brown “has grown” since the incident with Rihanna in 2009.

In his complaints, Brown also denied Jane Doe’s rape claims and alleged that she has a history of “partner violence.” Brown’s lawsuit included alleged screenshots of a restraining order Doe’s boyfriend allegedly filed in 2021.

source: people.com