Gordon lawyer: Bobbi K. suit 'slanderous'

ATLANTA -- An amended lawsuit filed by the late Bobbi Kristina Brown's conservator alleges that Nick Gordon gave Brown a "toxic cocktail" and then put her face down in a tub of cold water.

The original suit was filed on June 24 in Fulton County Superior Court by Brown's court-appointed conservator Bedelia Hargrove. It accused Gordon of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and transferring money from her account into his own without authorization.

Brown, the 22-year-old daughter of the late Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, died on July 26 -- months after being found unresponsive in the tub of her Roswell home on Jan. 31. Brown never regained consciousness and was moved to hospice care in June.

The amended complaint, filed on Friday, adds a wrongful death count. It alleges that around 6 a.m. on Jan. 31, Gordon returned after "being out all-night on a cocaine and drinking binge." The suit says that Gordon watched camera footage of Brown and listened to her conversations.

Gordon and Brown began arguing in the kitchen. The dispute moved to the living and then upstairs to the master bedroom. Gordon allegedly accused Brown of cheating and called her a number of names, the lawsuit alleges. The argument lasted about 30 minutes and then "everything abruptly became quiet."

The lawsuit then says that Gordon "gave Bobbi Kristina a toxic cocktail rendering her unconscious and then put her face down in a tub of cold water causing her to suffer brain damage."

According to the suit, Gordon then came out of the bedroom wearing different clothes than he was wearing in his argument with Bobbi Kristina, got into bed, laid his head on a female guest's ankle and said, "Now I want a pretty little white girl like you."

About 15 minutes later, a guest at the home went in to check on Brown and found her face down in a tub. A dust pan was at the bottom of the tub, the lawsuit states. Bobbi Kristina unresponsive, unconscious with a swollen mouth and a tooth hanging loosely from her mouth.

Gordon allegedly then came into the bathroom, let the water out of the tub and shouted, "Clean up, clean up." Others, including Gordon, began efforts to resuscitate Brown and called for medical personnel.

Brown was transported to North Fulton Hospital, where she was revived. She was later placed in a medically-induced coma. Later, Brown was diagnosed with "global and irreversible brain damage" and the lawsuit says "as a result of [Gordon's] actions."

On Friday, Hargrove amended the complaint, saying:

"I am deeply saddened by the recent death of Bobbi Kristina Brown. I extend my sincerest condolences to all of her family. Consistent with and to the letter of the civil action I initially filed on behalf of Bobbi Kristina, we will continue to pursue justice for her. I have filed today an amended complaint against Nicholas Gordon adding a count for wrongful death and for pain and suffering. We will leave no stone unturned in seeking justice for Bobbi Kristina Brown."

The amended suit also goes into more details on an incident where Gordon allegedly knocked out a tooth of Bobbi Kristina. According to the lawsuit, days before Jan. 31, several witnesses saw Gordon punch Brown as she sat on a couch. The lawsuit said that the impact was so great that the couch broke, knocking Brown to the floor. Gordon continued to attack Brown on the floor, "hitting her in the face until she was bloody," the suit said. It goes on to say that Gordon then began kicking Brown in the side "to the point that she was on the floor screaming and curled up in a fetal position." Brown's tooth was knocked out in the attack, the lawsuit states.

Gordon then allegedly dragged Brown up the stairs by her her hair to the master bedroom, later telling witnesses, "I don't do this often."

The lawsuit asks for damages of at least $10 million each for the assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and conversion. It asks for an amount to be determined later for counts of quantum meruit/unjust enrichment and attorneys' fees.

WXIA-TV legal analyst Philip Holloway said the amended lawsuit was expected. "Technically, a wrongful death lawsuit and any possible criminal charges are independent actions," he said.

At this time, no criminal charges have been filed against Gordon. An email to the Fulton County district attorney's office from USA TODAY was not returned.

When asked if this was a legal maneuver to move the apparently stalled criminal case forward, Holloway said, "It very well could be. I would be surprised if there was not some information sharing going on. Victim's families are frequently kept in the loop."

Holloway said Gordon must respond to the lawsuit. "It paints him into a corner because he has to reply, either admitting or denying the charges." Any testimony given by Gordon could later be used in a criminal case.

"It's very detailed," Holloway said about the section of the lawsuit accusing Gordon of killing Bobbi Kristina. "Lawyers are ethically prohibited from alleging things in a lawsuit unless they have support."

"This lawsuit accuses him of murder."

A spokeswoman for Gordon's new defense lawyer, Jose Baez, the Florida lawyer who defended Casey Anthony on murder charges in connection with the death of young daughter Caylee in 2013 (she was acquitted), told USA TODAY the lawsuit was "slanderous and meritless." Gordon has been living in Florida in recent weeks.

"The recent lawsuit against Nick is slanderous and meritless. Nick has been heartbroken and destroyed over the loss of his love and it's shameful that such baseless allegations have been presented publicly. Nick has engaged civil counsel and intends to defend the lawsuit vigorously and expose it for what it is: a fictitious assault against the person who loved Krissy most," said Josey Crews in an email.

Funeral services for Bobbi Kristina were held on Saturday in Alpharetta, Ga.; she was buried in New Jersey next to her mother on Monday.

Read the full lawsuit below: