R&B SINGER Chris Brown and his rival Drake were socked with a $16 million lawsuit Wednesday over their glass-flying brawl at a popular SoHo nightclub.
The suit is the first that emphatically pins the blame on the two hip-hop stars for starting the melee that left at least seven people injured June 14 at the W.i.P. club.
The brouhaha over Brown’s ex-flame Rihanna began when the two men “crossed paths and began to fight violently with each other,” according to papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“Each ordered his security personnel, bodyguards, friends and entourage to joint the fight, which erupted into a violent brawl on a massive scale.”
The entertainers “fashioned deadly weapons out of whatever materials they could find, including glasses, alcohol, bottles and furniture,” court papers state.
The lawsuit goes on to describe a fear-inducing fight fit for a movie.
The men’s sidekicks are accused of “throwing highball glasses laden with alcohol, shattering the handles of bottles of spirits to use as makeshift knives and even throwing full bottles at each other.” Within seconds, the club was “full of flying glass shrapnel.”
“Terrorized patrons ran for cover but found none. . . . Instead, they duck(ed) behind each other, using banquettes and tables as improvised shields,” the papers state. Among those injured was hoops star Tony Parker, who was hit in the eye by glass and has sued the club for $20 million. Other patrons have also filed suit.
This latest court challenge comes from Entertainment Enterprises, which owns the trademark to the name of the neighboring club Greenhouse. Greenhouse and W.i.P. share space on Vandam St., owners and a liquor license. Entertainment Enterprises claims the melee and its aftermath tanked a $4 million licensing deal it had recently brokered to market the name nationwide.
Overnight, the trademark owners said, the Greenhouse trademark went from having a lucrative association with a wildly popular club to being "worthless" because it is now "associated with the kind of violent, life threatening riot engaged in by the defendants."
Brown and Drake "should have foreseen that their notoriety and celebrity would ensure that their acts had far reaching and devastating effects," the trademark owners contend.
In June, spokesmen for both men denied that they were involved in starting or escalating the fracas. Drake's spokesman said he was on his way out of the club when the fight began.
The spokesmen did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment on the new allegations.
Police and the Manhattan district attorney’s office continue to investigate the incident. So far, no criminal charges have been brought.
Greenhouse and W.i.P. were shut down briefly by police after the brawl but the owners were allowed to reopen after paying steep fines and installing beefed up security. They also persuaded a state judge to set aside a state Liquor Authority decision to yank their license.
The brouhaha over Brown’s ex-flame Rihanna began when the two men “crossed paths and began to fight violently with each other,” according to papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“Each ordered his security personnel, bodyguards, friends and entourage to joint the fight, which erupted into a violent brawl on a massive scale.”
The entertainers “fashioned deadly weapons out of whatever materials they could find, including glasses, alcohol, bottles and furniture,” court papers state.
The lawsuit goes on to describe a fear-inducing fight fit for a movie.
The men’s sidekicks are accused of “throwing highball glasses laden with alcohol, shattering the handles of bottles of spirits to use as makeshift knives and even throwing full bottles at each other.” Within seconds, the club was “full of flying glass shrapnel.”
“Terrorized patrons ran for cover but found none. . . . Instead, they duck(ed) behind each other, using banquettes and tables as improvised shields,” the papers state. Among those injured was hoops star Tony Parker, who was hit in the eye by glass and has sued the club for $20 million. Other patrons have also filed suit.
This latest court challenge comes from Entertainment Enterprises, which owns the trademark to the name of the neighboring club Greenhouse. Greenhouse and W.i.P. share space on Vandam St., owners and a liquor license. Entertainment Enterprises claims the melee and its aftermath tanked a $4 million licensing deal it had recently brokered to market the name nationwide.
Overnight, the trademark owners said, the Greenhouse trademark went from having a lucrative association with a wildly popular club to being "worthless" because it is now "associated with the kind of violent, life threatening riot engaged in by the defendants."
Brown and Drake "should have foreseen that their notoriety and celebrity would ensure that their acts had far reaching and devastating effects," the trademark owners contend.
In June, spokesmen for both men denied that they were involved in starting or escalating the fracas. Drake's spokesman said he was on his way out of the club when the fight began.
The spokesmen did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment on the new allegations.
Police and the Manhattan district attorney’s office continue to investigate the incident. So far, no criminal charges have been brought.
Greenhouse and W.i.P. were shut down briefly by police after the brawl but the owners were allowed to reopen after paying steep fines and installing beefed up security. They also persuaded a state judge to set aside a state Liquor Authority decision to yank their license.
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