Brandy News

A second wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against actress-singer Brandy in a December freeway crash.

On Jan. 30, a $50 million lawsuit claimed Brandy was driving recklessly when her sport utility vehicle struck the back of a Honda driven by Awatef Aboudihaj, 38. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of her parents, Aboudihaj Ahmed and Labridi Zohra, who reside in Morocco.

Awatef Aboudihaj was killed and her two sons, Mrwan Mohamed, 14, and Kareem Mohamed, 10, were injured in the Dec. 30 accident on the San Diego Freeway.

The latest lawsuit was filed Feb. 8 by attorney Paul N. Philips on behalf of the two boys. It said unspecified injuries to the children will likely cause some permanent disability. Damages will be determined at trial, the lawsuit said.

"The accident was a terrible tragedy, and Brandy's heart goes out to Awatef Aboudihaj's family. But for legal reasons we cannot comment on this lawsuit," the singer's spokesman, Allan Mayer, said in an earlier statement.

The city attorney's office is still deciding whether to charge the singer, whose real name is Brandy Norwood, with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, which was recommended by California Highway Patrol investigators, spokesman Jonathan Diamond said Wednesday.

If charged and convicted, Brandy, 28, faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Brandy, who earned a Grammy in 1999, has made five albums. She began her recording career at 14 and has acted for film and television, starring on the sitcom "Moesha" from 1996-2001 and most recently as a judge for NBC's "America's Got Talent."