Los Angeles - In court documents filed Wednesday, the 28-year-old singer "specifically denies each and every allegation" in the wrongful death complaints filed against her by relatives of the woman who died of injuries suffered in a four-car collision that the plaintiffs claim was caused by Brandy Norwood.
The December 30 accident occurred on Los Angeles' 405 freeway when Brandy's Land Rover rear-ended a Toyota Corolla being driven by 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj, who in turn hit 82-year-old Donald Lit's Toyota Tercel. That caused Aboudihaj's car to bounce into a different lane, where she was broadsided by 50-year-old Mallory Ham's vehicle. Aboudihaj died of her injuries at a nearby hospital the following evening.
The California Highway Patrol has recommended that the L.A. City Attorney's Office charge the Moesha star with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, but prosecutors have not yet decided whether to file charges. Investigators determined that Brandy wasn't under the influence of alcohol or any other substance at the time of the crash, nor was she talking on her cell phone or similarly distracted.
However, that hasn't stopped the legal floodgates from opening. Three wrongful death suits have been filed, one by Aboudihaj's parents, one representing the deceased's two children, and, earlier this month, one by Aboudihaj's husband, Maroune Hdidou, for the loss of "support, maintenance, solace, moral support, companionship and comfort" that his "faithful and dutiful" spouse provided him.
"This answering defendant specifically denies each and every allegation in the complaint and further denies that plaintiffs have been damaged in any sum or sums whatsoever."
In the filing, Brandy asserts her Fifth Amendment privilege to not incriminate herself and requests a jury trial.
Ham is also named as a defendant in Hdidou's suit, but playing on the same side of the field as Brandy apparently hasn't given the woman any overriding sense of solidarity.
According to documents obtained by tmz.com, Ham is also suing the former America's Got Talent judge for negligence and motor vehicle damage, claiming that Brandy "carelessly and negligently owned, operated, entrusted, leased, repaired, modified, maintained and/or controlled a 2007 Land Rover Range Rover so as to cause a multi-vehicle accident that severely injured plaintiff Mallory Ham and killed another person."
The defendant was aware of the "probable harmful consequences of speeding…following other vehicles too closely…and tailgating other vehicles," the complaint states.
Ham is seeking unspecified general, special and punitive damages for medical expenses, loss of earnings and other costs, as well as "past, present and future pain and suffering."
Posted By: Jimmy Jones
Wednesday, May 30th 2007 at 8:18AM
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