Nov 19, 2009

Chris Brown appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday (November 19) for a progress hearing on his probation — and in the eyes of officials, the singer/actor has earned an "extremely favorable" report.

The musician/actor was in the courtroom again in connection with his June plea for attacking former girlfriend Rihanna earlier this year. Brown was ordered to give Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg an update on his compliance with the sentence given to the 20-year-old singer following his guilty plea to a felony assault charge in the case.

According to The Associated Press, Brown's attorney Mark Geragos said in the courtroom that Chris has already completed 100 hours of community service in Richmond, Virginia. This time has included such hard labor as picking up trash alongside state highways. Brown has also completed 7 of his 52 domestic violence classes.

On August 25, Chris Brown was sentenced to five years of probation and 180 days of community labor, which he has been serving in his native Virginia by picking up garbage by the roadside and removing graffiti. In exchange for the guilty plea and the avoidance of any jail time in the case, Chris Brown was also sentenced to a 52-week domestic violence prevention class. Brown must also stay at least 100 yards away from Rihanna for the next five years.

After months of silence, Chris Brown and Rihanna have begun giving interviews over the past few weeks discussing the assault. Brown apologized again to Rihanna in a recent sitdown with MTV News' Sway Calloway while Rihanna has talked with both ABC's Diane Sawyer and MTV News.

Schnegg has warned Brown that he could face jail time if he violates any of the probation terms. The singer is in the midst of his "Fan Appreciation" tour. The next step in Brown's legal proceedings was also scheduled on Thursday: a February 18 date in which he'll once again have to speak with the judge on where his court-ordered probation efforts stand.