Singer Chris Brown files slander case over Paris rape allegation

[January 25, 2019]  PARIS (Reuters) - American singer Chris Brown filed a legal complaint for defamation on Thursday after a woman accused him of rape in Paris, his lawyer said.

Brown, 29, denied the accusation. He was released this week after one night in police custody and no charges were brought against him.

"Chris Brown has lodged a complaint with the Paris public prosecutor for slanderous accusations, so that an investigation can be conducted, in particular so that light can be shed on the conditions under which this young woman was brought to lodge a complaint against him and, also, check her motivations," Raphael Chiche told Reuters.

The arrests were first reported by Closer magazine, which said Brown, his bodyguard and a friend were detained after a 24-year-old woman alleged she was raped at the singer's suite at the Mandarin Oriental hotel on the night of Jan. 15.

"Chris Brown affirms that there was no sexual relationship with the complainant," Chiche said.

The Grammy-award winning musician pleaded guilty to assaulting singer Rihanna, his then-girlfriend, in 2009 in an incident that made headlines around the world when a photoof her bruised face was released.

(Reporting by Emmanuel Jarry; writing by John Irish; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

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