Listen Live
St Jude banner
CLOSE

Bobby Brown broke promises about seating and contacting daughter at Whitney Houston funeral, says lawyer

Singer’s invitation to his ex-wife’s ‘home going’ service came with a set of ground rules

By Nancy Dillon / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 10:20 PM
StumbleUpon
Tumblr
Digg
Reddit
Email

Mel Evans/AP

Bobby Brown (l.) outside New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where ex-wife Whitney Houston’s funeral was held Saturday.

Bobby Brown knew his seating arrangement going into Whitney Houston’s Saturday service and broke an agreement not to contact his daughter unless she reached out first, Houston’s lawyer said Tuesday.

Lawyer Mark G. Trigg called Atlanta’s “Frank and Wanda” radio show on V-103 Tuesday morning and said Brown’s lawyer agreed to a carefully crafted set of ground rules when the singer accepted the Houston family’s invitation to sit in the first three rows of the New Hope Baptist Church for the packed, star-studded service in Newark.

Brown, who was divorced from Houston in 2007, agreed that he would sit in front with Houston’s family while three of his children from prior relationships would sit farther back with their uncle, the lawyer said.

The “My Prerogative” singer also agreed not to approach his daughter Bobbi Kristina, nicknamed Krissy, unless the 18-year-old he shared with Houston made the first move, the lawyer said.

“Our agreement prior to the service was that if Krissy reached out to Bobby, if she tried … to initiate any contact with him, security was certainly going to make sure that happened and would not stand in the way of her reaching Bobby if she initiated the contact,” Trigg said.

“What was asked of him however was that if Krissy didn’t initiate that contact for whatever reason, with whatever was going on in her head and heart and spirit, that day, if she didn’t initiate the contact, then he was not to reach out for her. Just to respect her and her wishes during the service. That was the agreement,” Trigg said.

BOBBI KRISTINA NOW UNDER WATCH OF CISSY HOUSTON

Brown didn’t keep to the plan, though, Trigg said, and tried to approach his daughter to seek her intervention with the seating plan.

“And when he went to interact with her, that’s when security said we would ask you please go to your seat. Please have your children sit with their uncle, and let’s not have any unnecessary drama here,” Trigg said. “That’s the point where he, for whatever reason, decided that he wanted to just leave the service. So he got with his three children, went up and kissed the casket and they walked out of the service.”

BOBBY BROWN LEAVES FUNERAL 20 MINUTES INTO SERVICE

Brown, who left the service after about 20 minutes and performed that night with his band New Edition in Connecticut, immediately released a statement saying he felt mistreated.

“My children and I were invited to the funeral of my ex-wife Whitney Houston. We were seated by security and then subsequently asked to move on three separate occasions. I fail to understand why security treated my family this way and continue to ask us and no one else to move,” he said Saturday.

He admitted security “prevented” him from “attempting” to see his daughter, but did not mention a prior agreement to stay away.

“In light of the events, I gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as I refused to create a scene. My children are completely distraught over the events. This was a day to honor Whitney. I doubt Whitney would have wanted this to occur,” he said. “” will continue to pay my respects to my ex-wife the best way I know how.”

ndillon@nydailynews.com