Judge Orders Chris Brown’s Tour Earnings Redirected to Pay $13 Million Dog Attack Judgment
A Los Angeles judge has ordered qualifying tour and entertainment payments owed to Chris Brown redirected to his former housekeeper as she seeks to collect the nearly $13 million judgment she won after being mauled by one of his dogs.
Judge Huey P. Cotton on Aug. 20 granted Maria Avila an assignment of Brown’s present and future nonexempt rights to payment, including income connected to his ongoing R&B Tour with Usher. Avila sought the order after telling the court that Brown had not paid any portion of the judgment entered following her June trial victory.
The ruling does not give Avila the tour’s entire box-office revenue. An assignment order allows a person who has won a judgment to intercept certain payments that would otherwise go to the person who owes the money.
In Brown’s case, the order reaches qualifying payments owed to him rather than the tour’s gross ticket sales. Box-office figures from 20 reported shows put the R&B Tour’s gross at $153.4 million, with more than 863,000 tickets sold.
Avila’s attorneys asked the court to reach income from touring and other entertainment-related revenue as they work to satisfy the judgment. Brown opposed the request, arguing that the proposed assignment was excessively broad.
Cotton granted the motion without issuing a lengthy written explanation of his reasoning.
The collection dispute follows a jury verdict over a December 2020 attack at Brown’s Tarzana home. Avila was working as a housekeeper when she went outside to empty trash and was attacked by Hades, a roughly 200-pound Caucasian shepherd kept at the property for security.
The attack caused severe injuries to Avila’s face and body, leaving her with permanent scarring, partial vision loss, and other lasting effects.
Brown conceded negligence before the case reached the jury but disputed the amount of damages and argued that Avila bore some responsibility for what happened. He testified that he had warned her that the dogs were not friendly and told her not to go outside alone.
Jurors awarded Avila $12.9 million in damages. Her sister, Patricia Avila, received a separate $885,000 award for emotional distress, while Maria Avila’s husband received $50,000.
The latest ruling moves the dispute from determining liability to enforcing the judgment.
Winning a civil case does not automatically result in payment. California courts can use several methods to help a judgment creditor collect money that remains unpaid, including orders assigning certain income or payment rights to the person who won the case.
An assignment order can redirect future payments before they reach the judgment debtor. It does not necessarily transfer a business operation’s full revenue and generally applies only to payment rights belonging to the debtor that are not protected from collection.
Brown has separately asked the court for a new trial. His attorneys argue that the proceedings were unfair and that the damages award was excessive.
An effort to overturn a judgment does not by itself erase the other side’s collection rights. Enforcement can generally continue unless a court grants a stay or other relief preventing collection while the challenge is resolved.
The R&B Tour has expanded since Avila first sought access to Brown’s touring income. Eight additional stadium dates were announced in August, bringing the run to 59 shows across North America.
Cotton’s assignment order remains in place while Brown challenges the underlying verdict, allowing Avila to pursue qualifying payments owed to the singer toward the $12.9 million judgment.
