alkindy
21-02-2007, 22:40
Brandy Facing $50M Lawsuit over Fatal Crash
by Josh Grossberg
It's only Tuesday and it's already Brandy's worst week ever.
A day after Los Angeles prosecutors revealed that the 27-year-old entertainer could face a misdemeanor manslaughter charge for allegedly causing a fatal highway accident, the victim's parents have launched a $50 million wrongful-death lawsuit against the former Moesha star.
The civil action accuses Brandy (listed in court papers by her full name, Brandy Norwood) of "driving recklessly in the freeway when her car collided with Awatif Aboudihaj's car" on Dec. 30.
Aboudihaj, a 38-year-old wife and mother, was hospitalized with what officers described as "major" injuries, including multiple pelvic fractures, and died the next day.
There was no immediate comment on the lawsuit from Brandy's camp, which has been silent since releasing a statement last week in which the Grammy winner "express[ed] her condolences to the family of the deceased" and asked for privacy for everyone involved in accident.
According to court documents filed in Van Nuys, California, and obtained by E! News, the woman's parents, Aboudihaj Ahmed and Labridi Zohra, are seeking $50 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
"I don't think any amount of money that can be given to them will compensate them for such a loss," the family's attorney, Lotfy Mrich, told an L.A. television station. "She was a special, special lady."
The attorney told KCAL9-TV that Aboudihaj worked three jobs to take care of her parents in Morocco, her ill brother and sister and her three children from a previous marriage.
He also denied the parents were trying to take Brandy to the bank.
"Be it Brandy Norwood or someone else...the plaintiffs will seek the amount of damages that they believe is fair," Mrich said.
On Monday, the California Highway Patrol completed its investigation of the incident and recommended that prosecutors charge Brandy with a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter.
The CHP said the singer-actor was driving on L.A.'s 405 Freeway at approximately 10:30 a.m. when she failed to slow her 2007 Land Rover and rear-ended Aboudihaj's 2005 Toyota Corolla. The impact touched off a chain reaction that sent Aboudihaj's vehicle plowing into a third car before careening across the highway and getting struck by an Acura.
Investigators ruled out drugs or alcohol as having any part in the pileup.
The city attorney's office is reviewing whether to bring the manslaughter charge against Brandy. It carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, although first-time offenders usually get off with probation. Any criminal case could have an impact on the civil suit; for instance, if Brandy reaches a plea deal, the plaintiffs' lawyers could use that as leverage.
Earlier Tuesday, a group of L.A.-based civil rights activists rallied to her defense, demanding that no charges be filed.
"This was a tragic accident," said Najee Ali, head of Project Islamic HOPE. "Our coalition feels that the CHP is using Brandy as a political trophy and their recommendation is unfairly targeting her for prosecution because of her celebrity."
During a separate City Hall news conference on gang violence, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo responded to reporters' queries on the accident and rejected such insinuations.
"We will treat this case like every other case and treat it very seriously because someone has died," the prosecutor told reporters, adding that Brandy's case is "routine" and similar in scope to about 50 other cases his office gets in a year.
Nick Velasquez, a spokesman for Delgadillo, said the main issue the prosecutor will consider in Brandy's case is whether there was ordinary negligence—that is, whether the performer failed to use reasonable care to prevent harming anyone.
"That's the standard we have to meet in order to file the charge. If we find it doesn't meet it, then we would decline to file charges," Velasquez told E! Online. "And we look at cases without regard to anyone's status, whether it's an average Joe or someone more prominent."
http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=11c13435-3b8b-412c-a096-359004bdc648&entry=index
by Josh Grossberg
It's only Tuesday and it's already Brandy's worst week ever.
A day after Los Angeles prosecutors revealed that the 27-year-old entertainer could face a misdemeanor manslaughter charge for allegedly causing a fatal highway accident, the victim's parents have launched a $50 million wrongful-death lawsuit against the former Moesha star.
The civil action accuses Brandy (listed in court papers by her full name, Brandy Norwood) of "driving recklessly in the freeway when her car collided with Awatif Aboudihaj's car" on Dec. 30.
Aboudihaj, a 38-year-old wife and mother, was hospitalized with what officers described as "major" injuries, including multiple pelvic fractures, and died the next day.
There was no immediate comment on the lawsuit from Brandy's camp, which has been silent since releasing a statement last week in which the Grammy winner "express[ed] her condolences to the family of the deceased" and asked for privacy for everyone involved in accident.
According to court documents filed in Van Nuys, California, and obtained by E! News, the woman's parents, Aboudihaj Ahmed and Labridi Zohra, are seeking $50 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
"I don't think any amount of money that can be given to them will compensate them for such a loss," the family's attorney, Lotfy Mrich, told an L.A. television station. "She was a special, special lady."
The attorney told KCAL9-TV that Aboudihaj worked three jobs to take care of her parents in Morocco, her ill brother and sister and her three children from a previous marriage.
He also denied the parents were trying to take Brandy to the bank.
"Be it Brandy Norwood or someone else...the plaintiffs will seek the amount of damages that they believe is fair," Mrich said.
On Monday, the California Highway Patrol completed its investigation of the incident and recommended that prosecutors charge Brandy with a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter.
The CHP said the singer-actor was driving on L.A.'s 405 Freeway at approximately 10:30 a.m. when she failed to slow her 2007 Land Rover and rear-ended Aboudihaj's 2005 Toyota Corolla. The impact touched off a chain reaction that sent Aboudihaj's vehicle plowing into a third car before careening across the highway and getting struck by an Acura.
Investigators ruled out drugs or alcohol as having any part in the pileup.
The city attorney's office is reviewing whether to bring the manslaughter charge against Brandy. It carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, although first-time offenders usually get off with probation. Any criminal case could have an impact on the civil suit; for instance, if Brandy reaches a plea deal, the plaintiffs' lawyers could use that as leverage.
Earlier Tuesday, a group of L.A.-based civil rights activists rallied to her defense, demanding that no charges be filed.
"This was a tragic accident," said Najee Ali, head of Project Islamic HOPE. "Our coalition feels that the CHP is using Brandy as a political trophy and their recommendation is unfairly targeting her for prosecution because of her celebrity."
During a separate City Hall news conference on gang violence, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo responded to reporters' queries on the accident and rejected such insinuations.
"We will treat this case like every other case and treat it very seriously because someone has died," the prosecutor told reporters, adding that Brandy's case is "routine" and similar in scope to about 50 other cases his office gets in a year.
Nick Velasquez, a spokesman for Delgadillo, said the main issue the prosecutor will consider in Brandy's case is whether there was ordinary negligence—that is, whether the performer failed to use reasonable care to prevent harming anyone.
"That's the standard we have to meet in order to file the charge. If we find it doesn't meet it, then we would decline to file charges," Velasquez told E! Online. "And we look at cases without regard to anyone's status, whether it's an average Joe or someone more prominent."
http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=11c13435-3b8b-412c-a096-359004bdc648&entry=index