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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Chris Brown’s public legal history includes a 2009 felony assault conviction, later arrests and investigations that did not all result in charges or convictions, civil claims with different outcomes, and a guilty plea to affray in the UK in July 2026. The latest development covered here is current through October 4, 2026: sentencing in the UK case was scheduled for October 26, 2026, and had not yet taken place.
This is a timeline of major, documented legal controversies—not a list of every allegation or dispute. An arrest, a civil lawsuit, a restraining order, a dropped charge and a guilty plea have different legal meanings; the entries below identify the status reported for each.
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2009–2011: the Rihanna conviction and early controversies
February–June 2009: felony assault conviction involving Rihanna
After an argument on February 8, 2009, Rihanna was hospitalized with facial injuries. Brown was charged with felony assault and making criminal threats on March 5. On June 22, he pleaded guilty to a felony assault charge. The reported sentence included five years of probation, community labor and domestic-violence counseling. This was a criminal conviction, not merely an allegation. (People timeline republished by AOL, January 23, 2025; Associated Press, July 24, 2026.)
June 2010: UK visa denial
The UK denied Brown a visa for a planned tour following the Rihanna case, according to the People timeline republished by AOL. This was an immigration decision at that time; it does not establish his current visa status.
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March 2011: reported Good Morning America incident
After an interview with Robin Roberts, Brown allegedly threw a chair at a window and confronted production staff, according to the People timeline. The account is a report of an incident, not a criminal conviction.
2012–2014: reported altercations, probation and jail
June 2012: New York nightclub brawl
A brawl involving Brown, Drake and others left eight people injured, according to the People timeline. Brown’s attorney disputed who instigated the fight. The timeline does not report a conviction for Brown arising from this episode.
October–November 2012: questions about a restraining order
Brown attended a Halloween party where Rihanna was also present, reportedly prompting questions about the then-existing restraining order. The sources reviewed do not establish a separate criminal conviction from this episode.
January 2013: reported clash with Frank Ocean
The People timeline describes a reported altercation outside a West Hollywood studio. Ocean declined to press charges. The reported details were not adjudicated in the account.
July 2013: probation dispute after a reported hit-and-run
Brown’s probation was revoked following his involvement in an alleged hit-and-run, according to the People timeline. The source says the hit-and-run charges were later dropped and Brown was ordered to complete 1,000 additional hours of community service. The reported charge did not result in a conviction.
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October 2013–June 2014: Washington, D.C. arrest and probation consequences
Brown and his bodyguard were arrested on October 27, 2013, after a physical altercation outside a hotel. The People timeline reports that the charges against Brown were reduced to misdemeanor simple assault. In the months that followed, a court ordered him to a live-in anger-management facility; after he was removed from a Malibu treatment facility, the court found a probation violation and sentenced him to 131 days in jail in May 2014. He was released early in June and remained on probation with conditions, according to the timeline.
2015–2017: travel disputes, investigations and court orders
2015: Canada, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand
The People timeline reports that Brown said he was denied entry to Canada. In the Philippines, he was detained over an immigration alert connected to a separate civil complaint and later cleared to leave. Australia warned that his visa could be denied, and he canceled an Australia and New Zealand tour. These were travel and immigration developments, not criminal convictions.
January 2016: Las Vegas investigation
Police investigated after a woman alleged Brown beat her and took her phone. His representative called the allegations untrue, according to the People timeline. The source does not establish a conviction.
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Former manager Michael Guirguis sued Brown, alleging an assault. The People timeline reports that the case settled out of court in 2019. A civil settlement is not a criminal conviction and, by itself, does not establish that the alleged conduct occurred.
August 2016: arrest on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon
Police arrested Brown after a woman alleged he threatened her with a gun; the People timeline also reports a nine-hour standoff before his arrest. No charges were filed, according to that account.
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April 2017–August 2019: Tampa photographer battery charge
Tampa police reported an alleged punch in 2017. Brown was charged with felony battery in 2018, but the charge was dropped in August 2019 for insufficient evidence to prosecute, according to the People timeline.
June 2017: Karrueche Tran restraining order
A judge granted Tran a five-year restraining order after she alleged threats and prior physical abuse in court, the People timeline reports. The order is a court protection measure; it is not a criminal conviction for the conduct alleged in her account.
2018–2022: civil cases, a dropped probe and other legal disputes
December 2018–2019: capuchin monkey permit case
Brown faced charges over possession of a restricted species without a permit. Prosecutors dropped the charges after he relinquished the monkey and agreed to pay $35,000 for its care, according to the People timeline.
May 2018–April 2020: civil sexual-assault lawsuit
An unidentified woman sued Brown and two others over an alleged 2017 assault. Brown’s lawyer denied the allegations. The People timeline says the case was dismissed and settled out of court in April 2020; that reported civil disposition is not a criminal conviction or a finding that the allegations were proven.
January 2019: detention in France
French authorities detained Brown while investigating a woman’s complaint involving alleged aggravated rape and drug offenses. Brown denied the accusations, and the probe was later dropped, according to the People timeline. No conviction is reported.
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June 2021: police response at Brown’s home
Police responded to a woman’s call alleging that a male suspect had struck her. Brown was no longer at the residence, and police recorded a crime report, according to the People timeline. The material reviewed does not establish that this led to a charge or conviction.
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January–August 2022: Miami civil lawsuit
A woman sued Brown, alleging he drugged and raped her in 2020. Brown posted a social-media message that did not directly address the allegations. The People timeline reports that the case was dismissed in August 2022. The lawsuit’s allegations should not be treated as established facts.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.2023–2026: the London case and later civil claims
February 19, 2023: London nightclub incident
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says the incident occurred at Tape London in Hanover Square. In the prosecution’s account, Brown struck the victim twice over the head with a glass bottle; Omololu Akinlolu punched the victim, and the assault continued as the victim tried to leave. The victim attended St Mary’s Hospital with head and knee injuries. These details describe the prosecution’s account, not a separate finding about every alleged act.
2023 onward: Abraham Diaw’s civil claim
Abraham Diaw filed a civil suit alleging Brown struck him with a bottle and seeking damages, according to the People timeline. That civil claim is separate from the UK criminal proceedings; it should not be confused with the criminal charges or plea described below.
May 15, 2025: arrest and grievous bodily harm charge in the UK
Brown returned to the UK for a concert and was arrested in Manchester. The CPS authorized one count of grievous bodily harm, according to its May 15, 2025 statement. That was the charge at that point in the case; it was later superseded by the plea agreement and outcome reported in July 2026.
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July 24, 2026: guilty plea to affray; other charges dropped
Brown and Akinlolu pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to one count of affray, the CPS reported. The CPS describes affray as unlawful violence used or threatened in a way that would cause a person of reasonable firmness to fear for personal safety. The Associated Press reported that the plea was accepted in return for dropping charges of assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon. Brown pleaded guilty to affray—not to those dropped charges.
In its July 24 statement, the CPS attributed this description of the case to Senior Crown Prosecutor Claire Campbell: “This was a vicious and unprovoked attack by Brown and Akinlolu in a crowded nightclub where Brown used a glass bottle as a weapon to strike the victim’s head twice.”
October 26, 2026: UK sentencing scheduled
The CPS scheduled sentencing for October 26, 2026. As of the latest date covered here, October 4, the sentence had not been imposed.
July 2024 onward: civil suits over alleged concert-related assaults
The People timeline reports that four concertgoers sued Brown, members of his entourage and Live Nation over alleged backstage assaults following a Fort Worth show. It also describes a separate claim by an arena staff member. These are allegations in civil complaints, not criminal convictions; their later status is not established by the sources cited here.
October 2024–January 2025: documentary allegations and defamation suit
An anonymous woman made allegations in the documentary Chris Brown: A History of Violence. Brown denied the claims and sued Warner Bros. and others, alleging that the documentary falsely portrayed him, according to the People timeline. Both the allegations and Brown’s defamation claims are claims, not findings; the later status of the litigation is not established by the sources cited here.
How to read this timeline
The procedural outcome matters as much as the allegation. The 2009 Rihanna case resulted in a felony guilty plea; other entries describe arrests without charges, charges later dropped, dismissed or settled civil cases, or allegations that the cited sources do not establish as proven. In the latest UK case, the plea was to affray, while the more serious charges were dropped and sentencing remained pending as of October 4, 2026.
Sources for this timeline include the Crown Prosecution Service’s statements of May 15, 2025 and July 24, 2026; Associated Press reporting dated July 24, 2026; and a People timeline republished by AOL on January 23, 2025. The historical entries drawn from that timeline reflect its reporting and should not be read as a complete account of every dispute or as an update to civil cases whose later status is not established here.
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