EntertainmentDecember 30, 2007
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles city attorney's office said Friday it will not charge Brandy in a deadly December 2006 crash. Spokesman Nick Velasquez said there is "insufficient evidence" for a jury to find the 28-year-old actress-singer guilty of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter beyond a reasonable doubt...
The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles city attorney's office said Friday it will not charge Brandy in a deadly December 2006 crash.

Spokesman Nick Velasquez said there is "insufficient evidence" for a jury to find the 28-year-old actress-singer guilty of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter beyond a reasonable doubt.

The decision runs counter to a recommendation from the California Highway Patrol that Brandy, whose real name is Brandy Norwood, be charged in the Dec. 30, 2006, crash.

Brandy was driving on a Los Angeles freeway when traffic slowed and her Land Rover smashed into the back of a Honda.

That car was involved in several other collisions. The driver, 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj, died in the accident.

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Brandy's attorney, Blair Berk, said "we are extremely pleased" with the decision not to prosecute.

The California Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Following the crash, Brandy was sued for more than $50 million in separate lawsuits filed by Aboudihaj's parents, children and husband. Brandy and Mallory Ham, a motorist whose car struck the Honda, also have sued each other for negligence. Aboudihaj's husband also has sued Ham. All the lawsuits are pending.

A call to an attorney representing Aboudihaj's children was not immediately returned.

Norwood has made five albums and earned a Grammy in 1999. She starred in the "Moesha" sitcom from 1996-2001.

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