Bobby Brown, the late Whitney Houston’s ex-hubby sues TV networks over a documentary.
Whitney Houston’s ex-husband Bobby Brown is suing Showtime Networks and the BBC over unauthorized footage was used in the 2017 documentary Whitney: Can I Be Me.
A complaint was filed with the US District Court in New York on Wednesday, by Brown and the estate of the couple’s late daughter Bobbi Kristina. It claims the footage harmed Brown, his business and Bobbi Kristina’s estate
R&B singer Brown said consent of use the footage was not given, adding the material is about 15 years old. It was shot before he and singer Houston divorced in 2007, and before her death in 2012. According to Reuters, the complaint said, “Every person should have the right to control how their identity or likeness or personality, or voice, name or image is commercialized by others.” The plaintiffs (Brown) want at least $2m (£1.5m) for violations of their rights of publicity and false advertising and an injunction against the documentary’s distribution.
The film, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, was broadcasted on Showtime and the BBC. The film explores the singer’s personal struggles and relationships, and also her early career before she rose to huge fame with hits including “How Will I Know”, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “I Will Always Love You”.
Houston, died aged 48 after drowning in the bath in a Beverly Hills hotel. Coroners ruled she died of accidental drowning but heart disease and cocaine use were contributing factors. Her only child Bobbi Kristina died at age 22 in 2015 of pneumonia after nearly six months in a coma. She had been found unresponsive in a bath and died as a result of immersion in water and drug intoxication, medical records showed.
