US singer Chris Brown has been found liable after a dog attacked his housekeeper and left her mauled and disfigured at his home in 2020. Following a two-week trial in Los Angeles, the jury ruled in favour of Brown’s housekeeper, Maria Avila.
Chris to pay $13 million to househelp
According to Billboard, Maria was allegedly attacked by a 200lb (90kg) Caucasian Shepherd owned by Brown. The incident occurred while she was emptying the garbage at his Tarzana home in California. Following the trial, the jury ordered Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, to pay $12.9 million (£9.7 million) in damages for negligence.
‘Dog ripped off large chunks of her skin’
Avila had alleged that the dog ripped off “large chunks of her skin”, leaving her with permanent facial disfigurement, scarring, vision loss and nerve damage. A report by Rolling Stone stated that the victim showed the jury “a pattern of scars running from beneath her left eye up across her forehead”, as well as the “raised and pitted skin” on her forearm.
Chris Brown fled the scene
During the trial, testimonies also claimed that Brown fled the scene after the attack instead of calling emergency services. It was alleged that he left the housekeeper in the care of other employees. According to testimony, he feared there would be a “media circus” if police heard his voice over the phone.
Meanwhile, Brown maintained that the dog was not his personal pet and was instead kept for security purposes.
Brown testified that he heard the dog growling and went downstairs to find Avila lying motionless and covered in “a lot of blood”. “The blood kind of freaked me out,” he said, adding that he was “in shock”. The singer, however, stated that he followed his manager’s advice and left the scene.
The singer also argued that the attack was partially the housekeeper’s fault, claiming he had warned her and her sister that the dogs were “absolutely not” friendly and instructed them to go outside only when security personnel were present. The housekeepers, however, denied ever having such a conversation with Brown.
Avila’s sister, Patricia, who was also working at the property when the attack took place, was also awarded $885,000 (£668,000). Meanwhile, Maria Avila’s husband, Oscar Olivo, was separately awarded $50,000 (£38,000), Patricia’s lawyer told Billboard.
Patricia’s lawyer said, “After more than five years of litigating against Chris Brown, we are thrilled that we were able to get justice for our client, Patricia. We are so happy for her and her family after everything they went through on that horrible day.”