A Los Angeles jury has found American singer Chris Brown liable for negligence in a civil lawsuit stemming from a 2020 dog attack that seriously injured his former housekeeper, Maria Avila.
The verdict, delivered after a two-week trial, requires Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, to pay Avila $12.9 million in damages, according to Billboard.
Avila sued Brown after she was attacked by a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd named Hades while taking out the rubbish at Brown’s home in Tarzana, California. She told the court that the dog caused severe injuries, including permanent facial disfigurement, scarring, vision loss and nerve damage.
Brown’s representatives had not commented on the verdict at the time of reporting.
During the trial, Brown maintained that the dog was kept for security purposes rather than as a personal pet. He also argued that he had warned workers, including Avila and her sister Patricia, not to go outside unless security personnel were present because the dogs were not friendly.
