Nick Gordon Found Legally Responsible for Bobbi Kristina Brown's Death

Defendant failed to appear at his scheduled court date on Friday

By McKenna Aiello Sep 16, 2016 5:06 PMTags

Nick Gordon has been found legally responsible for the death of Bobbi Kristina Brown after failing to appear at his scheduled court date, E! News confirms a judge ruled Friday. 

Brown's estate filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the defendant in August 2015, which alleged the late daughter of Whitney Houston died following a violent altercation with Gordon after which he placed her in a bathtub, unconscious, and injected her with a toxic mixture. 

The $10 million suit also said that Gordon committed domestic abuse and made unauthorized money transfers amounting to $11,000 from his girlfriend's bank account into his own during her subsequent hospitalization. In May 2016, Bobby Brown also became a plaintiff in the legal battle. 

Judge T. Jackson Bedford of Atlanta's Fulton County Superior Court said because Gordon was a no-show in court on two separate occasions, anything he now alleges is admitted through omission. 

"We have said all along that we believed Nick Gordon was responsible for the death of Bobbi Kristina Brown. This judgment confirms our belief. Mr. Gordon had every opportunity to appear in Court and attempt to clear his name. He declined," a statement to E! News from Brown's legal counsel read. 

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Bobbi Kristina Brown's Life in Pics

Bobby released his own statement to E! News:"I am pleased with the outcome of today's court proceedings. All I ever wanted was answers relating to who and what caused my daughter's death. Today's judgment tells me it was Nick Gordon. Now I need to process all the emotions I have and lean on God to get me and my family through this."

Bobbi Kristina remained in a coma for seven months before her July 2015 death, which was later revealed to have been the result of Lobar pneumonia, caused by Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and water immersion combined with mixed drug intoxication.

Gordon's attorneys have long maintained their client's innocence in the investigation, releasing a statement after the release of her autopsy results that said, "The truth is Nick tried to save Bobbi Kristina's life. The truth is that Nick cooperated with law enforcement since day one. The truth is that no one loved Bobbi Kristina more than Nick and no one has suffered more as a result of her death than [sic] Nick." 

Gordon gave his first on-air interview since her death in April of this year, blaming Brown's father for her demise. "[Bobby] hurt his own daughter, not me," Gordon claimed to Dr. Phil. "I was the one there for her while she was dealing with him not being there."

As of now, no criminal charges have been filed against Gordon. Brown's attorneys said in their statement a damages trial will occur in the "near future."