EW spoke on the phone with Donald Etra, attorney for Rihanna, shortly after it was announced that Chris Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault in a Los Angeles courtroom today.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Was this a verdict worked out between the D.A. and defense counsel?
DONALD ETRA: The plea agreement was worked out between the District Attorney and defense counsel, yes.
And is it something you are pleased with?
The district attorney advised us of the plea earlier this afternoon, and Rihanna had no objection to the plea.
Was she planning to testify in compliance with the subpoena?
Yes. She was at court and she was ready and willing to testify. As of this morning, our understanding was Rihanna would be called to the stand.
This separation agreement — that they have to be 50 yards apart, unless they are at an event, in which case it’s 10 yards — can you elaborate on that?
Yes. The judge issued a stay-away order requiring Chris to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna and to have no contact with Rihanna. If they happen to be at the same industry function, then the 50 yards becomes 10 yards. But the no-contact order still is in effect.
And is that permanent or does it have a time limit? Will it be revisited?
The current order lasts for 5 years, although the judge said that after Chris is sentenced in August, she would consider reducing the full stay-away order to a limited protective order. Rihanna requested that there only be a protective order, namely that Chris be ordered not to annoy, molest, or harass her. Rihanna did not feel that a stay-away order was necessary in this case.
Is it your opinion and the opinion of Rihanna that the sentence is punitive enough?
Rihanna feels it’s a fair and just resolution to the case.
And does she have any desire to communicate with him outside of the bounds of the no-contact order?
Rihanna understands the terms of the protective order and of course will comply with those terms.
Is it your feeling that everyone is ready to move on or will there be further civil suits involved?
At this point, this terminates the criminal proceeding, in so far as a preliminary hearing or trial. What remains is sentencing, and then various court appearances for Mr. Brown to show that he’s complying with the terms of the sentence.
Brown is a jerk.
But he could have made a better deal.
He should have accepted jail and put this behind him. The plea deal will leave him tied up for years.
actually this is the better deal for him. 4 years in prison would have probably killed his career. this way he’s out and able to continue his life, more or less. either way, he pled guilty and admitted he did something wrong.
There should have been no deal. This man bit her–he acted like a brutal animal and people still try to justify this. Every 9 seconds a woman is beaten in this country.
OMG – Not to “annoy” her? WTF is THAT all about? Hey dude, you annoy me, you’re going to jail. pfffttt…
I think the annoy part may be a way of trying to include the technology of texting b/c he could bother her that way, no it’s not touching but still. I think they just need to avoid each other follow the court’s order, this is not a game.
What he did was a very bad thing; however, why are they getting so many headlines for this. Who really cares? There are plenty of women being beat everyday, yet the media doesn’t seem interested in writing about it. Why do these people get so much attention?
Umm…because they are celebrities?! Plenty of people go shopping too, but TMZ doesn’t follow me around.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. LOVE IS NEVER APPLIED AT THE END OF A FIST.
why rihanna gotta lie about Chris? She know she started it and now he can hit her as much as he wants cause his conviction is FALSE and she deserves what she get!
she is a whore, thats why she got beat up…she had a std from fing other dudes and he was pissed…he should of just filed a law suit against her for getting him herpes, that would have more hilarious hat him beating her.
Where is this std sh*t comming from hello people. They were fighting because he recieved a text from his female manger stating will I see you tonight and Rihanna saw it. Why are girls so dumb yea it’s ok for a guy to beat the hell out of you beccause he recieved a very inappropriate text from another chick. i’m so glad I’m not a girl!
I smell an Oprah interview!!!
wey dey do dat at? holla holla. dat b**ch riri get what she deserves. jamaca ho. chris iz fine he can beat me nytime. riri is a punk b**ch. snitchez end up in ditchez. white peeple blew all this sh*t up. punkz
This is a ROCKIN’ performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIqXNXjJnqs&feature=related
Can’t believe she think it’s “fair”. The man battered her…and she says it’s fair he walks away, jail-free.
pathetic.
http://tvdonewright.com/2009/06/23/tv-tonight-tuesday-june-23rd-2009/