The boyfriend of Bobbi Kristina Brown has been accused of assault and theft, on the same day her family announced she was being moved into hospice care.

Brown, the only child of Whitney Houston, was discovered face down in a bath at her Atlanta home in January. She has never regained consciousness.

Her boyfriend Nick Gordon has now been accused of causing her "substantial bodily harm" in a $10m civil case.

The legal action was filed by Brown's court-appointed conservator.

Bedelia Hargrove told People magazine in a statement:. "I filed this lawsuit to pursue justice on behalf of Bobbi Kristina Brown. No human being, male or female, should endure what Bobbi Kristina endured."

The legal case accuses Gordon of assault, battery, infliction of emotional distress and maintaining "the fraud that he had married Brown" after she inherited a substantial amount of money.

It claims that Bobbi Kristina confided to an unnamed person that Gordon "was not the man she thought he was" and made plans to meet them on 31 January to talk about it.

Court papers claim she never made it to the meeting and "became embroiled in a loud argument" with Gordon, which ended with her "face down in a bathtub, with her mouth swollen and another tooth knocked out".

"Even after Brown's hospitalization, and while she was in a coma, (Gordon) accessed Brown's bank account and stole in excess of $11,000 (£7,000)," the documents say.

Gordon has yet to comment on the accusations. Last night, he posted a message about Brown on his Twitter, which read: "We keep praying, she has fought hard this long don't give up hope."

He was partly brought up by Whitney Houston, and the couple's relationship became public after Houston died.

'In God's hands now'

Police were called to Brown's home in suburban Atlanta on 31 January, in response to a "drowning".

Despite months of treatment in two Atlanta hospitals and a rehab facility, including being placed in an induced coma, the 22-year-old has never regained consciousness.

A police investigation has been launched, but no findings or charges have been announced.

A statement released by Brown's aunt Pat Houston on behalf of the family said that "despite the great medical care at numerous facilities, Bobbi Kristina Brown's condition has continued to deteriorate, as of today, she has been moved into hospice care."

"We thank everyone for their support and prayers. She is in God's hands now."

The case holds similarities to Houston's death in a hotel bath in 2012.

An autopsy concluded the singer died of accidental drowning due to the effects of cocaine use and heart disease.

Houston left everything in her will to Bobbi Kristina.

Brown is also the daughter of singer Bobby Brown. Her parents divorced when she was 14.

Source: BBC