Jury Finds Chris Brown Liable, Orders Him to Pay $13 Million in Dog Mauling Case.
A jury in Los Angeles has ordered singer Chris Brown to pay nearly $13 million to a former housekeeper who was attacked by a dog at his California home. The verdict brings an end to a legal battle that has lasted more than five years .
The jury found Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, responsible for negligence after the attack on Maria Avila, who was mauled by a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd named Hades while emptying the trash at Brown’s Tarzana property in 2020 . She suffered severe injuries that left her permanently disfigured, with scarring on her face and left arm. The attack also caused vision loss and nerve damage that has prevented her from returning to work as a housekeeper.
During the trial, Avila spoke through an interpreter and showed the jury the scars running across her forehead and the damaged skin on her forearm, which required skin grafts from her abdomen . She told the court she now suffers from post-traumatic stress and cannot be around dogs.
In addition to the $12.9 million awarded to Avila, the jury granted $885,000 to her sister Patricia, who was working with her at the time of the attack, and $50,000 to Avila’s husband Oscar Olivo .
Brown admitted some responsibility before the trial began but disputed the extent of Avila’s injuries and argued that she was partly at fault . He testified that he had warned Avila and her sister that the dogs on the property were “absolutely not” friendly and told them not to go outside without security present . The sisters denied receiving any such warning and said a language barrier would have made such a conversation unlikely.
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Brown also claimed Hades was not his personal pet but was owned and cared for by his security team to guard against break-ins . He said he kept the dog because he deals with “a lot of stalker-type situations” .
The jury heard testimony that Brown left the scene after the attack instead of calling emergency services or helping Avila. He said he drove around for about two hours after his manager advised him to leave, fearing that his involvement would attract a “media circus” . He told the court he was in shock after seeing Avila lying in a pool of blood and thought it was best to stay out of the way.
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Speaking after the verdict, Patricia Avila’s lawyer, Michael C. Murphy Jr., said they were happy to get justice for his client after five years of legal proceedings .
“We are so happy for her and her family after everything they went through on that horrible day. It was an honour to represent her,” he said .
The dog was euthanised days after the attack . Brown is currently on tour with Usher and also faces a separate trial in the UK in October over an alleged attack at a nightclu
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