Chris Brown is pleading with a Los Angeles judge not to allow any talk of the domestic violence incident involving his ex-girlfriend Rihanna, which led to his arrest, at an upcoming trial, Us Weekly can exclusively report.
On Friday, January 16, Brown, 36, filed court docs arguing there should be no mention of Rihanna, 37, in front of the jury as part of the lawsuit brought by sisters, Patricia and Maria Avila.
Patricia and Maria worked as housekeepers at Brown’s L.A. home. In her lawsuit, Maria claimed she was attacked by a large dog named Hades at Brown’s home on December 12, 2020. She accused Brown of being more concerned with removing the dog from the premises than her well-being. Brown denied the accusations.
Maria is demanding over $90 million in damages for her alleged permanent injuries and disfigurement. The parties have been unable to settle and are expected to go to trial this year.
In his new filing, the entertainer’s lawyer requested an order “precluding [Maria], their counsel, and any witnesses from introducing or referring to any alleged past incidents of domestic violence involving [Brown], specifically involving Mr. Brown’s ex-girlfriend, Rihanna.”
Brown’s legal team said they expected Maria’s lawyer to try to introduce evidence or reference the past incidents of domestic violence involving Brown and Rihanna.
His legal team argued, “Any reference to alleged incidents of domestic violence, particularly those that occurred more than a decade ago and bear no connection to the subject incident, is improper, irrelevant, and unduly prejudicial.”
“Admission of this evidence poses a substantial risk of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, and misleading the jury,” Brown’s lawyer added. “Accordingly, such evidence should be excluded at trial.”
The motion continued, “These remote allegations are entirely unrelated to the dog, the alleged dog bite, or any fact in controversy in this litigation.”
Brown’s lawyers attached a portion of the singer’s transcript from April 30, 2025, where he was questioned about his criminal history. He explained he has been convicted of a felony one or two times, with his first being in 2008 or 2009 over an alleged assault and battery against Rihanna. When asked about the second felony charge, he said he believed it was after Rihanna and due to a fight or some kind.
Brown was arrested on February 8, 2009, after an argument with Rihanna turned physical inside a car. He pleaded guilty to a felony count in June 2009 and was sentenced to five years of probation, community labor and counseling.
In a separate filing, Brown asked that the judge bar any reference to any “prior incidents, complaints, investigations, or allegations of domestic violence or assault” that involve him. The singer also argued that any talk of his criminal history at all was “irrelevant.”
In the dog attack lawsuit, Brown denied all allegations of wrongdoing. He argued that Maria had provoked the animal with her actions and was responsible for her injuries.
Brown’s lawyer said, “The injuries complained of by [Maria] were proximately caused by [Maria’s] misconduct in that she willfully and voluntarily teased, abused, or mistreated the dog and thereby provoked the attack.”
The lawsuit is ongoing.