Attorneys for Ed Buck have asked a judge to order Dane Brown, a man who survived two overdoses allegedly caused by drugs supplied by Buck, to appear for a deposition. In recently filed court documents, Buck’s legal team claimed that the plaintiff’s lawyer informed them the day before Brown’s scheduled appearance that she had lost contact with her client.
Buck, a 70-year-old former political donor, was convicted in 2021 for causing the overdose deaths of two other Black men at his West Hollywood apartment. Brown’s lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses Buck of sexual battery, assault, hate violence, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and human trafficking.
On Wednesday, Buck’s attorneys submitted a request to Judge Steven A. Ellis, asking that Brown be compelled to attend a deposition no later than Oct. 29, and to pay a $1,575 penalty. According to the filing, Brown’s lawyer notified Buck’s legal team on Sept. 9 — just one day before a virtual deposition — that she had been unable to locate her client “for some time.”
Buck’s legal team is also seeking documentation from Brown that would support his claims of lost wages and medical issues.
Brown alleges he first met Buck in June 2019 through the website Adam4Adam. Over the next two months, Buck allegedly sent ride-hailing vehicles to transport Brown from a Skid Row hotel, where he lived, to Buck’s apartment in West Hollywood.
The lawsuit claims that during Brown’s first visit, the two engaged in sexual activity, and Buck provided him with methamphetamine to smoke and inject. Brown stayed at Buck’s apartment for several months, from July to September 2019, continuing to use drugs allegedly provided by Buck.
The suit also states that Buck specifically targeted Brown because of his race and sexual orientation, forcing him to watch pornography during his visits.
According to the lawsuit, on two separate occasions in September 2019, Buck injected Brown with methamphetamine, causing him to overdose. Brown claims that after the second overdose, Buck also gave him gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), commonly known as the “date rape” drug. Buck allegedly refused to call for help, forcing Brown to leave the apartment and walk to a nearby gas station. There, a passerby and a station employee called 911 for him.
After surviving both overdoses, Brown testified against Buck during the latter’s federal trial. In July 2021, a jury convicted Buck of all nine charges he faced, including two counts of distributing methamphetamine resulting in death. He was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison in April 2022.
Buck, who once ran for a seat on the West Hollywood City Council, had donated more than $500,000 to political candidates and causes, primarily within the Democratic Party.
I wish Mr. Buck’s lawyers all the luck in the world in finding the man they wish to appear at a disposition.The guy probably doesn’t have a permanent address as he was living on Skid Row during the events described which tells me this man is homeless.
If Mr. Buck is wishing he can get out of prison,he can forget about that possibility.When is he going to accept he has a sentence to serve?
How can buck still afford lawyers?
Think of the irony here folks. This single white man of above average income (Buck) was living in a W. Hollywood rent controlled apartment for 30 years and in which he paid virtually nothing for, $600 or something. The money he saved by not having to pay market rent (at other people’s expense) he then used to make massive political contributions to curry special favor with local politicians. He leveraged this political favor for years, preying on impoverished black men living on skid row, inviting them to his rent controlled apartment, with no consequences. Then only after he murdered the… Read more »