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Brandy Pays For Wrongful Death Suit
Brandy has agreed to pay a $600,000 settlement in a wrongful-death lawsuit stemming from a December 2006 multi-car collision in which she was driving her 2007 Land Rover down the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit is on behalf of Mrwan and Kareem Mohamed, children of a woman killed in the collision and who were riding in the family’s 2005 Toyota Corolla at the time of the accident. The brothers, who were then 15 and 11, will each receive $300,000, according to E!Online.
At the time of the crash, which took place at about 10:30 a.m. Dec. 30 2006, Brandy was driving in the slow lane of the freeway at a speed of 65 mph, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Leland Tang.
The cars in front of the singer/actress had slowed down but Brandy failed to reduce her speed and crashed into the Toyota Corolla, driven by 38-year-old Awatif Aboudihaj.
Photo: AP Photo
Z100 Jingle Ball, Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.
Aboudihaj’s vehicle then hit a 1989 Toyota Tercel driven by 82-year-old Donald Lite, causing Aboudihaj’s car to slide sideways, into the freeway’s center divider and coming to a stop in a different lane. Aboudihaj’s vehicle was then hit by a driver in that lane, 50-year-old Mallory Ham.
Aboudihaj was rushed to the hospital and treated for multiple pelvic fractures but died the next evening because of major blunt force trauma.
At the time of the crash, it wasn’t clear whether Brandy failed to notice the other cars in the slow lane had reduced their speed or if her SUV suffered a malfunction. After investigating the collision and testing the singer’s Land Rover, the California Highway Patrol recommended she be charged with misdemeanor manslaughter. Prosecutors decided not to press charges due to lack of evidence.
Marouane Hdidou, the husband of Aboudihaj and father of the two children, filed an additional suit against Brandy but has turned down a $1.2 million settlement offer. Aboudihaj’s parents filed a $50 million claim despite the fact that California law only allows the husband of a victim to sue – not the parents. Lite, who sustained “serious and permanent injuries” in the crash, also filed a suit against Brandy, according to E!Online.
Brandy filed a lawsuit against Ham, who also suffered moderate injuries, accusing her of negligence and causing the collision.