Nick Gordon wants $40m lawsuit put on hold

Los Angeles - Nick Gordon wants the $40m wrongful death lawsuit against him to be put on hold.

The 24-year-old, who is being sued by late girlfriend Bobbi Kristina Brown's family, as they believe he is to blame for her death in July after six months in a coma, has asked a judge to delay the civil case because he believes it would force him to answer questions that could be used against him if criminal charges are filed in the future.

According to new legal documents, obtained by gossip website TMZ.com, Nick claims he would never get a fair trial if he's criminally prosecuted because the Brown family has painted him as "murderer, a habitual batterer of women, a seducer of young white females, a thief and/or con man fuelled by monetary gain, and a chemist capable of making a toxic cocktail."

A source told PEOPLE.com a grand jury is currently being put together in Georgia to decide whether or not to pursue criminal charges against Nick.

The District Attorney also said: "The case remains open and under investigation."

Nick's legal team previously branded the lawsuit against him "slanderous."

In a statement, they said: "The recent lawsuit against nick is slanderous and meritless. Nick has been heartbroken and destroyed over the loss of his love, and it's shameful that such baseless allegations have been presented publicly.

"Nick has engaged civil counsel and intends to defend the lawsuit vigorously and expose it for what it is: a fictitious assault against the person who loved Krissy most."