Chris Brown Sues for Extortion Over Alleged Basketball Game Fight
UPDATE: Chris Brown has settled with Malcolm Ausbon, the man who sued the singer over a fight during a basketball game, according to TMZ. While the exact amount is sealed under law, the tabloid site claims it is no more than “four figures.”
Chris Brown has sued a man who he claimed tried to extort him after a basketball game last year, according to TMZ.
The lawsuit stems from a pick-up basketball game Brown played in last summer with Malcolm Ausbon. Ausbon sued the singer, alleging that Brown started a fight with him over a foul call. In the new countersuit, Brown denied any involvement in the fight and claims that Ausbon threatened to tell police he was unless Brown paid him $250,000.
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According to Brown’s suit, Ausbon admitted Brown was not involved, but his lawyer had written, “Mr. Ausbon believes $250,000 will suffice compensating him for his physical and emotional injuries … Mr. Ausbon is placed in a position by the LAPD where he needs to decide whether he will press charges for aggravated assault and battery. However, Mr. Ausbon prefers not to resort to filing these claims or the lawsuit. He would rather be compensated.”
The countersuit also alleges that Ausbon would keep the incident a secret upon payment. When Brown didn’t pay, according to the countersuit, Ausbon filed a lawsuit against the singer.
Last week, Brown admitted to violating the terms of his probation over a fight with a 20-year-old man in Washington, D.C. last year. While the criminal case against Brown is still ongoing, a judge ordered him to spend an additional 131 days in jail.
The pop star checked himself into a rehab facility following his D.C. arrest, but was kicked out for violating its rules. He was later jailed and has been in custody ever since. Brown’s assault trial has been delayed until at least June, reports AP, after prosecutors told the presiding judge that they wouldn’t grant Hollosy immunity to testify at the singer’s trial.