After news broke about the death of Dane Brown, 43, the man who had survived multiple drug overdoses at former Democratic political donor Ed Buck’s West Hollywood home and barely escaped with his life in 2019, Buck’s attorneys quickly moved to downplay–no strike that–ignore the situation.
In Brown’s civil case against Ed Buck, Buck’s attorneys are pushing back against an ex parte application—a legal tool used when time is of the essence—filed by Dane’s attorney’s to postpone the case. Why? Because Dane recently passed away. Dane’s attorneys requested this brief delay to honor and address Dane’s death and chart a path forward–because why should Buck be let off the hook just because Dane passed? If anything–it’s even more of a reason to make sure he’s held accountable. But as usual, Buck’s team argued against it, avoiding any mention of Dane’s passing and framing it instead as a simple failure to keep in contact.
I mean for Christ’s sake, the man is dead and he was in such a state before his death he was unreachable. Anyone who has had a family member or friend struggle with addiction, mental health and homelessness, knows that sometimes people disappear into their struggles, making them hard to reach, both physically and emotionally. Dane wasn’t just “out of contact”—he was a man deeply harmed, whose life spiraled after his encounter with Buck. When someone is facing the weight of addiction, mental health battles, and the constant instability of homelessness, being unreachable isn’t a sign of indifference—it’s a symptom of survival in the hardest conditions. For Buck’s team to act like Dane’s absence was just a missed call is not only cold–it continues to show a complete disregard for the human toll of Buck’s actions. Dane deserved the dignity of having his passing acknowledged, not dismissed as an inconvenience for Ed Buck.
But then again, these are the same attorneys who recently went to court to force Dane to appear for a deposition. How the court was supposed to do that, I do not know. As if somehow the court could summon an unhoused man struggling with a severe mental health break to answer their questions. It’s absurd and cruel, but sadly not surprising. These are the same tactics we’ve seen time and again from Buck’s team—pushing to shift the focus, avoid accountability, and sidestep the reality of the harm Buck has caused. Dane’s life and struggles are not mere legal inconveniences; they’re a reminder of the deep, lasting damage left in the wake of Buck’s actions. The least they could do is acknowledge that.
Dane’s story with Buck is more complex and tragic than what has ever been reported. Victims like Dane Brown often face struggles that don’t end when the cameras shut off or the social media buzz fades. Dane’s story, like too many others, highlights the harsh reality that the impact of trauma doesn’t disappear when public attention moves on. After being harmed by Ed Buck, Dane’s mental health and addiction worsened. Long after the public’s focus drifts, victims like Dane are left battling demons most can’t see, with limited resources and even less compassion from society. It’s a reminder that true justice means holding people like Buck accountable, not just when it’s trending but in every quiet moment that a life hangs in the balance.
This isn’t the first time Buck has tried to sidestep accountability with his victims. In fact, he’s spent hundreds of thousands, if not millions on legal fees in the process. His team’s response here, coldly omitting Dane’s passing, is another disturbing attempt to evade facing the full impact of what he’s done. Remember, this is a man who didn’t send a card, flower or any other gesture of condolence to the families of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean after they died in his apartment. Even though–according to Buck, they were both his “friends.”
By ignoring Dane’s death in their opposition, Buck’s attorneys are brushing off the human toll their client’s actions have taken, reducing Dane’s life and struggles to technicalities instead of recognizing the deep harm caused.
So in other words—completely on brand for Buck. This is just a peek at a lot of the stuff that has been happening behind the scenes that I don’t talk about and that isn’t reported on. The ongoing efforts to avoid accountability, the dismissive attitude towards the victims, and the constant manipulation of the legal process all point to a larger pattern of behavior that continues to go unchecked. It’s a reminder that the fight for justice is far from over, even when those most affected can no longer speak for themselves.
There will be arguments on this Thursday morning. I am hoping Dane’s attorney’s prevail and his estate vis-à-vis his family are able to replace him in the lawsuit.
