Nick Gordon ordered to pay $36 million to Bobbi Kristina's estate
Bobbi Kristina Brown's boyfriend has been ordered to pay her estate officials more than $36 million after he was found civilly liable for her death.
Nick Gordon was sued by Brown's court-appointed co-conservator, Bedelia Hargrove, following the 22-year-old's death in July, 2015, and her father, singer Bobby Brown, joined the lawsuit as a plaintiff in May (16).
In the legal papers, Gordon was accused of giving Bobby's only
child with the late Whitney Houston a "toxic cocktail" of
substances which rendered her unconscious on the night of 31
January, 2015, when the aspiring singer and actress was found
unresponsive and face down in a bathtub at the Georgia home she
shared with Gordon.
She was subsequently placed in a medically-induced coma and spent
almost six months fighting for her life.
Gordon failed to show up to court to fight the civil lawsuit,
prompting Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford to
find him "legally responsible" in September (16), when the
plaintiffs' allegations were "admitted through omission".
Executors had reportedly asked for $50 million from Gordon, and
after hearing testimonies from Bobbi Kristina's friends and
relatives, including her tearful dad, the judge determined her
estate should be awarded $36 million .
During Thursday's (17Nov16) court date, he explained, "To determine
the value of a life is pretty difficult. So the court has been back
there primarily struggling with that particular issue."
In the end, Judge Bedford awarded $13 million for pain and
suffering, and $15 million for loss of life, including her net
worth and future earning potential, reports TMZ.com. He also
ordered Gordon to pay up for assault and battery, and for
conversion, after allegedly transferring money from Bobbi
Kristina's account into his own without permission.
Gordon, who has repeatedly denied the allegations, was absent from
the damages hearing. It remains to be seen how much the estate
representatives will actually collect from him.
No criminal charges have been brought against Gordon for Brown's
death, but the police investigation is still reportedly
ongoing.
Coroners ruled Bobbi Kristina died of a combination of drugs and
drowning.