Chris Brown is facing a second lawsuit over an alleged backstage assault he and a group of his entourage carried out against four concertgoers in Fort Worth, Texas, last weekend, with a security guard hired for the event now claiming Brown was injured while trying to stop the violence.
In the new lawsuit, filed in Harris County Circuit Court on Wednesday and awarded rolling stoneFrederick Overbeck — who said he was hired to lead security at Dickies Arena — claimed he saw Brown throw the first punch at one of the four plaintiffs suing Brown on Monday. The lawsuit alleges Overbeck tried to intervene but was pushed out of the way.
As in the lawsuit filed Monday, the new complaint names Brown, several members of his entourage and concert company Live Nation as defendants, listing the causes of action as assault, battery, negligence/gross negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Overbeck is seeking $15 million in damages.
“This was an unprovoked attack and not only was Chris Brown inflicting it, but he struck the first blow,” said Overbeck’s attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents the plaintiffs in the original complaint. rolling stone In a statement, the judge said: “We will use all the power and weight of the judicial system to achieve justice here.”
In the lawsuit, Overbeck alleges he saw one of the plaintiffs, Larry Parker, try to escape Brown and his crew by running down a flight of stairs, trapped by a locked door. According to the complaint, Overbeck, a former corrections officer, described the incident as a “severe beating in the prison yard.”
“Plaintiff attempted to do everything in his power to prevent the violence, placing himself between Victim Parker and most of the assailants,” the lawsuit states. “Unfortunately, the assailants, including Brown, did not stop the violence. Instead, they continued to kick and stomp Victim Parker, and in the process repeatedly kicked Plaintiff, causing him serious injuries. Notably, one of Brown’s crew members threw his 300+ pound body on top of Parker and Plaintiff, before finally being pulled away.”
A representative for Brown did not immediately respond. rolling stoneLive Nation declined to comment Wednesday.
Overbeck eventually helped Parker escape through a locked door, according to the lawsuit. According to the complaint, Overbeck’s doctor suspended him from work because of injuries that included “not only a severe hip injury, but also a cracked vertebra in his neck.”
The new lawsuit comes two days after Parker and three other plaintiffs — Joseph Lewis, Charles Bush, and DaMarcus Powell — filed a $50 million lawsuit over allegations they were all assaulted by Brown and members of his entourage, Cinco Sage, Omololo Akinlolu (aka Hood Boss), and Marques Conway (aka Yella Beezy).
The original lawsuit detailed allegations that the four plaintiffs were invited backstage after Brown's concert, and that Bush later approached Brown to shake his hand and congratulate him on the show. Sage allegedly spoke loudly to remind Brown that he and Bush were at odds, and Brown then told his entourage to “screw it up.”
The alleged assault in Fort Worth is the latest in a long line of controversies and allegations of violence that Brown has faced, including his guilty plea to the brutal beating of his then-girlfriend Rihanna. Since then, he has been accused of at least 20 other acts of misconduct including sexual and physical assaults.
