Chris Brown ordered to pay $13 million to housekeeper attacked by his dog

Chris Brown (American singer-songwriter and dancer)

A Los Angeles jury has held American recording artist Chris Brown liable for negligence in a civil lawsuit concerning a 2020 dog attack that severely injured his former housekeeper, Maria Avila. Following a two-week trial, the court ordered Brown and his corporate entity, Black Pyramid LLC, to pay $12.9 million in damages to the plaintiff, according to Billboard.

The litigation arose after Avila was attacked by a 200-pound Caucasian Shepherd named Hades while performing household duties at Brown’s residence in Tarzana, California. The plaintiff testified to sustaining catastrophic injuries, including permanent facial disfigurement, scarring, nerve damage, and vision loss. Brown’s legal representation has not issued a public statement regarding the verdict.

Throughout the proceedings, Brown’s defense maintained that the animal was a trained security asset rather than a domestic pet. The defense argued that Avila and her sister, Patricia, had been explicitly instructed to remain indoors unless accompanied by security personnel. However, the plaintiff and her sister refuted this claim, noting that language barriers would have precluded such a directive.

Furthermore, the court reviewed evidence indicating that Brown vacated the premises following the incident before emergency services arrived. According to reports from Rolling Stone, Brown testified that he discovered the injured plaintiff after hearing the animal growling, but subsequently departed on the advice of his management team to mitigate media exposure.

During his testimony, Brown admitted the scene overwhelmed him, stating that the blood "freaked [him] out" and that he was in a state of shock during the incident. While the artist acknowledged a degree of liability prior to the trial, his defense contested the severity of Avila’s injuries and argued that the plaintiff shared comparative fault for the encounter.

Testifying through an interpreter, Avila detailed the enduring consequences of the mauling. She informed the court that she underwent numerous surgical procedures—including skin grafts taken from her abdomen to reconstruct her arm—and remains afflicted by permanent scarring, restricted mobility, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Consequently, she remains unable to resume her employment as a housekeeper.

In addition to the primary judgment, Billboard reports that the jury awarded $885,000 in damages to Patricia, while Avila’s husband, Oscar Olivo, was awarded $50,000. Michael C. Murphy, legal counsel for Patricia, expressed satisfaction with the jury's verdict.

“After more than five years of litigating against Chris Brown, we are thrilled that we were able to get justice for our client, Patricia,” Murphy said. “We are so happy for her and her family after everything they went through on that horrible day.”