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A JUDGE HAS ruled against Bobbi Kristina Brown’s partner, Nick Gordon, in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by her estate.
However, the decision doesn’t answer many of the questions surrounding her mysterious death.
Brown, the daughter of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, was found face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub in her suburban Atlanta townhome in January 2015. She died in hospice care about six months later.
Investigators with the medical examiner’s office were not able to determine exactly how she died. An autopsy showed she had morphine, cocaine, alcohol and prescription drugs in her body, but the medical examiner couldn’t determine if she killed herself, if someone else killed her or if her death was accidental.
Her family blamed Gordon, accusing him in the lawsuit of giving her a “toxic cocktail” before putting her face-down in the water. However, he has never been charged in the case. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said in a statement his office is continuing to investigate the case.
Gordon repeatedly failed to meet court deadlines in the civil case, Fulton County Superior Court Judge T Jackson Bedford said in his order. A jury trial will be set to determine how much Gordon must pay in damages. If he cannot pay, he could face a lien on property he owns or have his wages garnished.
No lawyer was listed for Gordon in online court records. Two attorneys representing him against any criminal allegations that may be filed said they were not involved in the civil case.
Bobby Brown, who had joined the wrongful death suit filed by his daughter’s estate, said in a statement released by his attorney he is pleased with the judge’s ruling.
“All I ever wanted was answers relating to who and what caused my daughter’s death. Today’s judgment tells me it was Nick Gordon,” Brown said in the statement.
‘No liability’
However, the ruling does not mean the judge made any determination about Bobbi Kristina Brown’s death based on the facts of the case, Page Pate, an Atlanta criminal defence attorney not involved in the case, said.
There’s been no finding of liability, no finding that he killed her or had any involvement in the killing. It’s simply a sanction imposed by the court because he failed to participate in the litigation in any meaningful way.
People who face the possibility of criminal charges can find it difficult to defend themselves in a civil case because, if they assert their right not to incriminate themselves, it can be interpreted as an admission of liability, Pate said. They may also not want to spend the money on a lawyer in a civil case where there’s no right to a court-appointed defence attorney.
“If you don’t have the money to begin with, then many defendants say, ‘Why would I pay a lawyer to represent me in this case? Sure, let them get a hundred million dollars against me. Good luck finding a hundred million dollars’,” Pate said.
David Ware, an attorney for Brown estate conservator Bedelia Hargrove, said his client is satisfied with the judge’s ruling and will aggressively pursue whatever damages are awarded.
The lawsuit seeks $50 million (about €44.8 million) in compensatory damages, as well as punitive damages, and the return of Bobbi Kristina Brown’s property, including a valuable ring, Ware said.
“You can’t ignore the court process, especially when you are accused of having engaged in this sort of horrific conduct,” Ware said, adding: “You have to give account, and Mr Gordon decided to thumb his nose at the court process and the court has finally said that he must pay.”
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Schools are more and more being asked to do things which are actually the parent’s job.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: a lot of what you learn in secondary school is not actually pertinent to real life. This is, so what is the harm in it being thought at home and in school?
@A$AP Ragnick: Looks like we’ll have a lot of hygienic, nice and socially conscious people who are academically inept.
@Elrond Rivendell: your right, because it’s impossible to introduce one new module, and the only way to do so would be to eliminate every other subject from the school curriculum so it can be thought 8 hours a day. Silly me.
@A$AP Ragnick: Crikey! Well if your writing is anything to go by, wellbeing and hygiene we’re definitely taught over grammar in your place. To address your substantive point, the original point was that schools are teaching a lot of things that should be taught at home. Your response was along the lines of yeah grand because a lot of things on the curriculum are useless. Wellbeing already gets 100 hours more than English, Irish or Maths and 200 hours more than Science, History, Business, Geography, Languages or any practical subjects at Junior Cycle. I think the evidence that we are developing a lot of people who are well versed in hygiene, mental health, social consciousness and such over academically able students is evidenced by the emphasis in the Junior Cycle programme.
@Elrond Rivendell: **were** being taught. Damn auto-correct. Laughing at the irony myself here!
Well done Helen McEntee, this initiative long overdue
Thank you Helen McEntee.
I’m heartened to hear this.
Domestic abuse inflicted by woman on men is a hidden tragedy in this country.
Helen McEntee would make a fantastic Taoiseach.
@Darren: you’d make a much better comedian
@Graham Manning: and you what would you make ?
@Margaret Mcgarry: Listen listen, Graham is one of these “all politicians are dopes and on the take” people. The barstool expert who spouts opinions online that in the days before the internet were only heard at the bar or on the street corner but because he publishes it online, it now becomes fact. Don’t let him bother you.
@Margaret Mcgarry: An English teacher. Want a grind???
@Elrond Rivendell: says the person convinced introducing this will make students academically inept???
Excellent news!
I like this Helen McEntee.
About time, I feel so ashamed and guilty about being a man, especially a straight, white man.
We need to make sure none of our boys grow up with self respect and confidence.
Critical race theory is hopefully next.
Our schools need third wave feminism urgently before even more of our children get brainwashed by the patriarchy to believe that men and fathers deserve the same rights and respect as women and mothers.
@Dan Broderick: It was inevitable that someone would have a spectacularly bad take on this. Congrats on hitting every buzz word on the “woke madness” bingo card while somehow suggesting that teaching people about consent negatively impacts their confidence. Thankfully, it’s a dying breed that yearns for the good old days when men were men, wha?
@OnlyHereForTheComments: Misogyny was mentiined twice in the closing paragraph. This shows the true meaning behind the story, this isn’t about equality, this is more ignorant man hating nonsense.
Real men are a dying breed and the anti male agenda isn’t even hidden anymore…..nothing more pathetic, dangerous and repulsive to women as a male feminist
@Dan Broderick: “real men are a dying breed” Lol. Upset that the story mentioned misogyny? The fragility is strong with you.
Speaking at the launch, the Taoiseach said that misogyny has “no place” in Irish society.
I agree but what about Misandry or is that still acceptable in society?? It does exist also, in fact one could argue that the taoiseachs statement could be construed as such? He should have said theres no place for misanthropy – at least thats non-biased.
Teaching both sexes to respect each other covers most scenarios. Parents who allow their young 10-12 year old kids and teenagers to roam around committing anti social behaviour need to cop on . When they get away with it that young it emboldens them do worse as they get older. Why should the teachers be landed with the parents responsibility’s.
have your say