Nick Gordon has been ruled civilly liable for Bobbi Kristina Brown's death in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by her estate last year.
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Because of Gordon's absence, anything alleged by the plaintiff is admitted through omission. The judge must now determine the amount of damages to be awarded to Brown's estate, which asked for $50 million.
"In court today, we finally finished a long journey for justice for Bobbi Kristina. 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," Ware told reporters in a press conference held outside of court.
"We are praising God. This has been a long time coming. But all the judgments in the world won't bring Krissy back," a Brown family source told People.
"We miss her every single day. Even when there's justice, it's not comfort. She was gone too soon, and we all have to live with that. I hope Nick lives with it every day for the rest of his life, because we sure are."
Bobbi Kristina, the daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, was found face down and unresponsive in her home's bathtub on January 31, 2015. The Brown family embraced their faith and tried everything possible to revive her, but she passed away on July 26 of that year at age 22.
Her boyfriend, Gordon, was never criminally charged in Brown's death, but according to a People source from the Fulton County DA's office, a criminal investigation is "still ongoing" and there are "no new updates" at this time.
In legal paperwork related to the suit, Bobbi Kristina's court-appointed conservator reportedly alleged Gordon "injected" her with a "toxic mixture" during a "violent altercation" at their shared home. He then allegedly placed her, unconscious, in the bathtub filled with cold water that January day.
Gordon's camp has maintained he's innocent of any wrongdoing from the start. His legal team said in a March statement the lawsuit is "slanderous" and "meritless."
The Fulton County Medical Examiner disclosed in early March that Bobbi Kristina died from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and lobar pneumonia caused by water immersion and mixed-drug intoxication when she was found in the bathtub.
Bobbi Kristina's toxicology report revealed marijuana, alcohol, "a cocaine-related substance," sedatives, anti-anxiety medications and morphine were all discovered in her system. There was no evidence as to whether the cause of death was intentional or accidental.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
