star Chris Brown has been found legally responsible for a 2020 dog attack at his Los Angeles home and must pay nearly $13 million in damages to his former housekeeper, Maria Avila.
After a two-week trial in Los Angeles, a jury ruled in Avila’s favor on grounds of negligence. Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, were ordered to pay $12.9 million, or about £9.7 million, to Avila, according to Billboard. An additional $885,000 was awarded to Avila’s sister Patricia, who was also present during the incident, and $50,000 to Avila’s husband
The incident occurred in 2020 while Avila was emptying trash at Brown’s residence in Tarzana, California. The dog involved was a 200lb, or about 90kg, Caucasian Shepherd named Hades.
According to court testimony, the dog attacked Avila, causing severe injuries. Avila told the court the animal ripped off “large chunks of her skin,” resulting in permanent facial disfigurement, scarring, vision loss, and nerve damage.
Speaking through an interpreter, Avila described the lasting impact. She has significant scarring on her face and left arm and limited mobility after surgeons used skin grafts from her abdomen to repair her arm. In court, she showed the jury a line of scars extending from beneath her left eye across her forehead, as well as raised, pitted skin on her forearm.
The injuries have also affected her ability to work. Avila said she has not been able to return to housekeeping due to reduced arm strength and post-traumatic stress that makes it difficult to be around dogs
Brown testified that he was about to shower when he heard Hades growling. He said he went downstairs and found Avila “lying motionless and covered in a lot of blood
“The blood kind of freaked me out,” Brown said. He described being “in shock” and said he followed his manager’s advice to leave before emergency services arrived. He told the jury he feared a “media circus” if his voice was on the 911 call or if he was present when police came.
Instead, he left his staff to care for Avila. During the trial, Rolling Stone reported testimony suggesting Brown did not call emergency services himself or stay with Avila after the attack.
Brown argued that Hades was not his personal pet but was purchased and managed by his security team for protection. “I get a lot of stalker-type situations,” he told jurors.
Brown also said he had warned Avila and her sister that the dogs were “absolutely not” friendly and that they should only go outside when security was present. The two housekeepers denied that conversation took place and said a language barrier would have made it unlikely.
Before trial, Brown admitted some level of responsibility but disputed the extent of Avila’s injuries and argued she shared fault for what happened. The jury ultimately rejected that argument and found him and his company negligent.
Patricia’s attorney, Michael C. Murphy, told Billboard, “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.
He has been charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm over what prosecutors described as an “unprovoked attack” on a music producer with a bottle at Tape nightclub in central London in 2023. Brown pleaded not guilty and appeared in court in January alongside co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu. Both were granted bail. He is scheduled to face trial in the UK in October
The case highlights legal responsibility for animal attacks on private property, especially when security animals are used. It also underscores how courts weigh an employer’s duty of care to household staff.
For Avila, the verdict brings the end of a legal battle that lasted more than five years. For Brown, it adds to a period of intense legal scrutiny alongside his ongoing music career
