Chris Brown is attempting to block his ex-housekeeper Maria Avila from presenting certain evidence when they face off in court, according to recent court filings. Their legal battle dates back to 2021, when Brown was sued by Maria and her sister Patricia, who worked together as his cleaning ladies.
The original lawsuit claimed that Brown's dog Hades attacked Maria in 2020, biting her face and leg and tearing three to four inches of skin from her arm. Nearly five years later, the case is set for trial on June 15, but both sides are now disputing what evidence is admissible, as per court documents seen by the Daily Mail.
Brown, 36, has filed to prevent any mention in court of his infamous 2009 assault on his then-girlfriend Rihanna. Meanwhile, Maria wants the subject to be discussable at trial. He is also seeking to bar Maria from showing pictures of the injuries she allegedly sustained in the dog attack, the legal documents show.
Maria has argued in court documents that the judge should not bar discussion of domestic violence accusations or incidents in Brown's history. She specifically noted that Brown pleaded guilty in 2009 to one count of felony assault on Rihanna, who was treated at the hospital after the incident.
Brown's counsel, on the other hand, has pushed back against Maria's contention and maintained that the Rihanna incident should be kept out of the upcoming trial on the grounds that it could prejudice the jury and was 'irrelevant' to the dog attack case. Maria's side insists the Rihanna case should be admissible because Brown's status as a convicted felon could affect his 'credibility.'
She has also submitted court documents to oppose his bid to stop her showing grisly photos obtained by TMZ of the wounds she claims Hades inflicted. Maria's legal filing insisted that her damages would be difficult to establish without presenting the images, which indicate the extent of her 'pain, suffering and emotional distress.'
Her attorney provided a statement to the Daily Mail denouncing the 'brutal and life-altering attack on' Maria and criticizing Brown for 'denying ownership, denying knowledge, and offering no credible explanation for how a dangerous dog came to be housed on his property, where others, including children, were present.'
At the time of the alleged dog attack, Brown was father to two children: a now 11-year-old daughter named Royalty and a now six-year-old son named Aeko. In the intervening years, he has welcomed two more children.
In the original 2021 complaint filed by Maria's sister Patricia, it was claimed Brown hired the siblings to clean his Los Angeles house twice weekly for $600 per day. The suit held that when she and Maria were working at his property in the suburb of Tarzana, the singer's dogs were kept in a different part of the premises.
The original complaint maintained that Caucasian Shepherds—the breed of the dog accused of attacking Maria—had a known history of aggression and violence. The court documents held that Maria was attacked by Brown's pet when she was in the backyard to empty a vacuum cleaner. The dog was pulled off Maria, and Brown dialed 911, after which the housekeeper was taken to the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries, the lawsuit alleged.
Maria was said to have endured panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, severe anxiety, and emotional distress as a result of the alleged dog attack. Patricia claimed in her lawsuit that Brown had failed to protect the sisters from unreasonable risk of harm. Brown has denied wrongdoing and insisted that the dog in question was provoked.
