A judge in Atlanta ruled in a civil lawsuit that Bobbi Kristina Brown’s boyfriend Nick Gordon is legally responsible for her death. He repeatedly failed to show up in court, which led the conservator of her estate to win the suit by default. The lawsuit originally sought $50 million in damages for Brown’s unlawful death. A final amount will be determined by a jury in light of Friday’s ruling.

Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, died in a way that was chillingly similar to that of her mother. In January 2015 she was found unconscious, face down in a bathtub in her Atlanta home. She died in hospice care in July that year.

According to her autopsy, she had morphine, cocaine, alcohol, and prescription drugs in her body when she died. Because of the unclear circumstances surrounding her death, no one was certain whether it was a suicide, murder, or an accident. Nick Gordon was never charged with a crime for Brown’s death.

In August 2015, the conservator of Brown’s estate, attorney Bedelia Hargrove, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Gordon. The lawsuit accused him assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and transferring money from her account without authorization.

JUST IN: Nick Gordon ‘found responsible’ for death of Bobbi Kristina Brown by judge https://t.co/CmJLuWfPju pic.twitter.com/4zZ9smwqSy via @ajc

— Laura A. Harris (@LauraHarrisWFTS) September 16, 2016

According to the lawsuit, Gordon came home intoxicated after a night out and got into an argument with Brown. During the ensuing exchange, the court filing alleges that he gave her a “toxic cocktail,” which left her unconscious. It  also claims Gordon then put her face down in a bathtub filled with cold water, which caused her to suffer brain damages. Gordon then went into the bedroom, where a female guest was waiting, and said, “Now I want a pretty little white girl like you.” After about 15 minutes he tried to wake Brown up and unsuccessfully preformed CPR.

Gordon’s best friend spoke out about Brown’s in court, saying that she once called him in panic after Gordon attacked her. Gordon has continuously denied having anything to do with Brown’s death, but because he failed to show up in court on multiple occasions, the court ruled against him.

R. David Ware, a lawyer for Brown’s conservator, said after the ruling:

In court today, we finally finished a long journey for justice for Bobbi Kristina Brown. The court agrees with us, by striking Mr. Gordon’s answer that he is legally responsible for her death. The only thing left to prove is the value of her life. We intend to do that.

But Brown’s aunt who spoke to reporters outside of the courthouse was still filled with anger. Although she was pleased with the court’s ruling, she said she wanted to see justice for her niece and for Gordon to be arrested.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of late superstar Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown, died Sunday at the age of 22, a representative of the family said in a statement. The statement read:

Bobbi Kristina Brown passed away Sunday, July, 26 2015, surrounded by her family. She is finally at peace in the arms of God. We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months.

She was treated in a hospital, and then an Atlanta-area hospice facility, nearly six months after she was found unresponsive and face down in the bathtub of her Rosewell, Georgia home. She was found on January 31, nearly three years to the day of her mother’s death.

Just days before she was found,Brown tweeted in excitement about new projects she was working on. So when she was found unresponsive just a few days later, it raised a lot of eyebrows for her friends, family, and fans.

https://twitter.com/REALbkBrown/status/561009982720983040

Now Brown’s death is being investigated as a homicide, with the 22-year-old’s boyfriend Nick Gordon as a suspect. Police officials are reportedly confident there was foul play involved.

Police had been called to Brown’s home on January 23 after someone reported a fight there, but no one answered the door, and officers found no evidence of an altercation. After first responders found injuries on Brown’s body when they discovered her, authorities launched a criminal investigation. A family friend said police questioned her live-in boyfriend, Nick Gordon, about her chest bruisings, and he told them it was a result of the CPR he gave her. There was also a history of violence reported between the couple.

Since Brown’s hospitalization in January, Gordon has allegedly gotten access to Brown’s account and stole more than $11,000. On July 12, Gordon reportedly was served with a $10 million lawsuit filed by Brown’s family on June 24. The lawsuit accuses Gordon of punching Brown in the face, and of controlling her finances after she was placed in a medically induced coma. Brown’s best friend, Alex Reid, opened up about Gordon’s alleged abuse on July 1. Reid said:

I don’t know when he started hitting her. But I know of at least four occasions when he struck her. She also told me about he had tried to choke her once. She was definitely scared. She had some friends, but not many. One time, I remember she called me for three hours. She was hyperventilating. I could barely understand what she was saying because she was so distraught. When she could finally get the words out, she told me he had been physically abusive. He had hit her in the face and thrown her against a wall.

After learning about the history, Brown’s family banned Gordon from visiting her while she was hospitalized and in hospice, even though he is distraught over the news of her death, according to one of Gordon’s close friends. The friend stated:

Even though Bobbi Kristina was in that condition, Nick always had hope that she would pull through […] All he wanted to do was see her, hold her hand, talk to her. He was not allowed to do that.

When Brown’s family learned that Gordon had abused her, they immediately cut off all ties. Gordon continuously claimed that he had nothing to do with her death, and is reportedly now on suicide watch because he is so broken up about her death. But police continue to investigate Brown’s homicide with Gordon as a primary suspect. An initial autopsy has not found an obvious cause of death, but a final ruling isn’t expected for several weeks. Whether or not Brown will actually be arrested or charged is most likely pending the results of that autopsy.

Angel Idowu

Angel Idowu is a member of the Beloit College Class of 2016 and was a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Angel at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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