Chris Brown has been ordered to pay nearly $13 million in damages after a Los Angeles jury found him liable for a 2020 dog attack that left his former housekeeper with life-changing injuries.
The jury awarded $12.9 million to Maria Avila after concluding that Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, were negligent in connection with the attack at the singer’s Tarzana, California, home.
Avila told the court that she was taking out the rubbish when Brown’s 200-pound Caucasian shepherd, Hades, attacked her, leaving her with severe injuries to her face and arm. She underwent multiple surgeries and skin grafts and continues to live with permanent scarring, nerve damage and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The jury also awarded $885,000 to Avila’s sister, Patricia, for emotional distress and $50,000 to Maria’s husband, Oscar Olivo.
During the trial, Brown admitted negligence under California’s dog-bite law but maintained that he had warned the housekeepers about the dog’s aggressive behaviour. Maria and Patricia Avila denied receiving any such warning.
Brown also testified that he secured the dog after the attack and that his security guard called for medical assistance.
He acknowledged leaving the property before emergency responders arrived, telling the court he did so on his manager’s advice to avoid what he described as a “media circus.”
The verdict marks one of the biggest civil judgments against the Grammy-winning singer in recent years. Brown is currently on tour in North America and is also due to face a separate criminal trial in the United Kingdom over unrelated assault charges.