On Friday, NBC news affiliate 11 Alive reported that a Fulton County, Georgia judge ruled Nick Gordon "legally responsible" in Bobbi Kristina Brown's death after he failed to appear in court. Bustle has reached out to Gordon's rep for comment, but did not receive an immediate response. In August 2015, E! News reported the conservator of Brown's estate, Bedelia Hargrove, filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Gordon accusing him of fighting with Brown, allegedly calling her derogatory names, and allegedly giving her a "toxic cocktail rendering her unconscious" leading him to allegedly "put her face down in a tub of cold water causing her to suffer brain damage."
Regarding the filing of the wrongful death lawsuit, Gordon released a statement to People via his former lawyer Jose Baez in June and said, "We have repeatedly said that Nick Gordon is innocent of any wrongdoing. He has not been charged with any crime. Enough is enough; let's end this baseless speculation."
Gordon failed to appear in court in Atlanta, Georgia for the second time on Friday, which led the judge to determine that anything alleged by the plaintiff was admitted through omission. Now, a jury will determine how much in damages will be awarded to Brown's conservator. The lawsuit originally sought $50 million.
"In court today, we finally finished a long journey for justice for Bobbi Kristina Brown," Brown's attorney R. David Ware told 11 Alive after the decision. "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."
Brown's family also released a statement to People commenting on the judge's ruling. "We are praising God. This has been a long time coming. But all the judgments in the world won't bring Krissy back. We miss her every single day." The statement continued, "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."
In July 2015, Brown died at the age of 22 after being found unconscious and facedown in her bathtub in January 2015. For months, she fought for her life through a medically induced coma and was eventually placed in hospice care in June, according to her aunt Pat Houston. At the time of her death, the Houston family shared a note on the official Whitney Houston Facebook page reading, "It is hard to say goodbye. On Sunday, July 26, Bobbi Kristina Brown made her transition peacefully. The family thanks everyone for their loving thoughts and prayers. As Bobbi Kristina would say: 'The wind is behind me and the sun is in my face.'"
