Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — The sisters of a man who survived two overdoses from drugs allegedly supplied by Ed Buck, but who died of drug intoxication before his civil suit against the former Democratic donor could get to trial, want to explore the imprisoned Buck’s current financial assets, but are getting a pushback from his attorneys.
The 71-year-old Buck was convicted in federal court in 2021 of the overdose deaths of two other Black men in his West Hollywood apartment. Former plaintiff Dane Brown’s Santa Monica Superior Court complaint alleges sexual battery, assault, hate violence, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and human trafficking.
However, Brown, 43, was found dead on a South Los Angeles sidewalk in November 2024. His sisters, Gloria Honeycutt and Denise Brown, stepped in as plaintiffs after their brother’s death.
On Dec. 18, Buck’s attorneys filed court papers with Judge Susan Bryant-Deason objecting to a bid by Brown’s siblings to examine Buck’s federal and state tax returns for the last seven years as well as his assets from various sources. Buck’s lawyers say the plaintiffs’ financial inquiry is premature.
“It is not substantially probable that plaintiffs will prevail in their action on the merits and it is not substantially probable that plaintiffs will recover (punitive) damages,” Buck’s lawyers said in court filings.
In addition, evidence has shown that Brown sought out Buck on social media and consented to the mutual drug use and mutual sexual activity with him and both men were “in pari delicto” when it comes to Buck’s alleged bad acts, Buck’s lawyers further state in reference to a legal doctrine preventing a plaintiff from recovering damages if the parties were equally involved in the wrongful conduct causing the harm.
In their court papers, the sisters’ attorneys contend that the sisters have a “substantial probability” of prevailing on their punitive damages claim and therefore need not wait until a formal finding of malice, oppression or fraud on Buck’s part by a jury in order to obtain the asset information. A hearing on the sisters’ motion is scheduled Jan. 5.
The sisters’ court papers state that Brown died of methamphetamine toxicity, that he had no spouse or children and that his parents are dead.
Brown and Buck met on the Adam4Adam website in June 2019 and for the next two months Buck often sent a ride-hailing vehicle to a hotel in Skid Row where the plaintiff then lived to bring him to Buck’s residence, the suit states.
After arriving at Buck’s apartment for the first visit, the two engaged in sex and Buck provided methamphetamine to Brown to smoke and to use intravenously, the suit states. Buck continued to provide the drug to Brown as he stayed in Buck’s apartment from July through September 2019, the suit states.
Buck, who allegedly sought out Brown because he is Black and gay, also forced him to watch pornography, according to the suit.
Buck intravenously injected methamphetamine into Brown on Sept. 4, 2019, and again a week later, causing Brown to overdose both times and have to be hospitalized on each occasion, the suit states.
During the second incident, Buck also gave Brown the “date rape” drug gamma hydroxybutyrate, also known as GHB, the suit alleges. Buck refused to call an ambulance, so Brown walked across the street to a service station, where an employee and a passerby called 911 on his behalf, according to the suit brought in September 2021.
Brown survived both overdoses and testified against Buck during a trial in U.S. District Court, where in July 2021 a jury found Buck guilty of committing all nine crimes for which he was charged, including two counts of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death. Buck was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison in April 2022.
Buck once was a candidate for a seat on the West Hollywood City Council. He donated more than $500,000 to political candidates and causes, most of them associated with the Democratic Party.
