Singer Chris Brown to Pay $12.9m After Jury Finds Him Liable for Ex-Housekeeper’s Dog Attack Injuries

By Gloria Drealomalicha

Multiple award winning R&B singer Chris Brown has been ordered to pay $12.9 million in damages after a jury found him negligent over a dog attack that left his former housekeeper with life-changing injuries.

A jury in Los Angeles delivered the verdict on Tuesday in favour of Maria Avila, who was viciously attacked by Brown’s 200-pound Caucasian shepherd, Hades, while taking out the rubbish at the singer’s home in 2020.

Avila had originally sought $90 million in damages, arguing that Brown failed to properly secure the dog, allowing it to roam freely around the property. During the trial, she recounted how the attack left her covered in blood and caused devastating injuries that resulted in permanent scarring to her face and left arm, ongoing trauma and reduced mobility.

Brown denied responsibility, maintaining that Avila had provoked the animal and was therefore responsible for her own injuries.

He told the court that Hades was a guard dog rather than a family pet and claimed he had warned his housekeepers about the risks posed by the animal. However, Avila and her sister disputed that account, insisting they had never received any such warning and arguing that language barriers would have made such a conversation unlikely.

The singer also testified that he discovered Avila lying in a pool of blood after hearing the dog growl. He admitted that he chose not to call emergency services himself because he feared news of the incident would become public. Instead, he said a member of his team contacted 911, while he left the property before first responders arrived on the advice of his manager.

In addition to the damages awarded to Avila, the jury granted compensation to members of her family. Her sister, Patricia, was awarded $885,000 for emotional distress, while her husband, Oscar Olivo, received $50,000.

Reacting to the verdict after nearly five years of legal proceedings, Patricia’s lawyer, Michael C. Murphy Jr., welcomed the decision, saying, “We are so happy for her and her family after everything they went through on that horrible day.”