Rihanna was expected to testify today in Los Angeles today to tell her story about the February 8th altercation with Chris Brown but she never took the stand.

Sounds like Brown got the T.I. deal.

Mark Geragos, who led Brown’s legal team, reached a plea bargain with the prosecution.

Brown avoids jail time by doing 180 days of community service in his home state of Virginia & attending a domestic violence counseling program.

In addition, Brown will receive five years supervised probation for the felony assault charge.

He previously pleaded not guilty to felony counts of assault and making criminal threats. At a press conference following the plea bargain, Rihanna’s attorney Donald Etra said Brown was faced with the choice of serving 180 days of community service or 180 days of prison time. If Brown violates his probation, he will receive up to four years in jail.

Rihanna doesn’t want a “stay-away” order for Brown

The judge planned to issue a “stay-away” order that will bar Chris Brown from contacting or coming near Rihanna until August, but Etra said his client didn’t want it.

The restraining order stands but the judge said the order will be reconsidered when Brown is formally sentenced in August.  However, until then Rihanna and Brown are banned from contacting each other.

Brown must stay 50 yards away from Rihanna for 5 years, while the two are present at the same event the distance is reduced to 10 yards.

Rihanna was at the LA courthouse for the hearing and plea but she was never in the courtroom with Brown. Rihanna was prepared to testify and subsequently learned of the plea deal around 12:30 p.m. Pacific – court started about an hour earlier.

Brown’s legal team tried but failed to postpone today’s hearing & Rihanna’s testimony.

Rumors of a plea deal began to spread this morning after TMZ reported that Geragos and the Los Angeles DAs Office were hammering out an agreement.

Chris Brown’s plea deal is a plus for the L.A. county budget.

As we reported earlier, today’s hearing set off a fire storm of press credential requests. Press credential requests for Brown’s hearing were among the highest ever in L.A. County.

Trials and courtroom drama make interesting news & generate massive legals fees but the prosecution & the ensuing media circus can be costly.

Los Angeles County spent over $9.2 million in the 1994 OJ Simpson trial, a monthly average of $325,000. Los Angles County sought ways to diffuse the costs of the trial.

Elizabeth Smith of the L.A. Sheriff’s office noted:

“We feel that in [Los Angeles] County, we’re providing the state and the United States with such entertaining trials, we need to look at some creative ways to recoup some of those costs.”

L.A. County did eventually recoup some of the OJ trial cost by billing for media expenses related to the case, including $300,753 in rent on the parking lot occupied by “Camp O.J.”

Rihanna & Chris Brown in happier times – damn shame.

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