Trouble seems to follow Chris Brown around like a lost puppy these days.
Brown appeared in court today in Los Angeles, where it was made public that Brown tested positive for marijuana back in June in Virginia when he was fulfilling his community service. The test result may be a violation of his probation for the 2009 assault of Rihanna. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg scheduled a hearing for November 1 to determine whether Brown violated his probation.
The judge said that Brown produced a medical marijuana card after the positive test—though it wasn’t clear why Brown would need medical marijuana.
While mandatory drug testing was not a condition of Brown’s probation, according to Schnegg, she still made another court date for November to see if Brown’s actions on the marijuana and other matters, such as travel restrictions, constituted probation violation.
As he sat before her in court, Schnegg gave the 23-year-old Brown a warning, reminding him that he was a role model.
“You are not an ordinary person who can sit in your living room and do whatever you want to do,” Schnegg told Brown. “More importantly, a lot of people look up to you, a lot of kids. What you do and what you say impacts a lot of people.”
Brown’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, said his client had “completed all of his community service.”
Brown was implicated in a brawl with Drake earlier this year that supposedly took place over Rihanna. Apparently being involved in a brawl doesn’t affect his probation.
Drake and Brown were sued for $16 million by a company with links to the club where the brawl took place. The suit blames the artists for the brawl and claims they are liable for what happened because they did nothing to stop it. The suit alleges that the brawl sullied the club’s name and harmed future business.
The suit, filed by Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., said Drake and Brown were at fault for their part in the brawl “in circumvention of the venue’s extensive security measures.”
While no criminal charges were ever filed, the fight at W.i.P. club caused injuries to Brown and NBA star Tony Parker, who required eye surgery and had to wear special goggles when he played for France in the London Olympics. Parker subsequently sued the club for $20 million for allowing a brawl that almost ended his career. According to police, the craziness started after members of Drake’s entourage confronted Brown on the dance floor as he was leaving the club’s basement lounge. Drake’s representatives have said he was on his way out and didn’t injure anyone.
The lawsuit cites news accounts of the bad blood between Drake and Brown over Rihanna. Lawyer Andrew Miltenberg said Entertainment Enterprises believes the two men instigated the violence—or at least failed to stop it.
“It’s their posse, and they’re in charge, and to the extent that they could have controlled or dissipated whatever was going on, we don’t believe they did,” the lawyer said.
According to the lawsuit, the club fracas caused a $4 million deal to fall through for the companies involved.
