A jury has ruled that Chris Brown must pay $13 million to his former housekeeper after his 200-pound dog mauled her at his California home in December 2020.
As reported by Billboard, jurors awarded $12.9 million in damages for negligence to Maria Avila after a two-week trial. The victim’s sister, Patricia Avila, who also worked that day, was separately awarded $885,000 for emotional distress, while Maria’s husband, Oscar Olivo, won another $50,000 in the verdict.
Maria Avila was cleaning outside of Brown’s Tarzana home on June 20th, 2020, when his Caucasian shepherd, Hades, attacked her. The singer’s dog is massive even for its breed, which is known for serving as prison guard dogs in Russia.
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In Avila’s testimony about the incident (via Rolling Stone), she said the attack caused severe injuries and scarring to her arm and face. Avila also revealed she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. “I will never be the same again,” she told jurors.
During Avila’s five days in the hospital, surgeons grafted skin from her abdomen onto her arm. She added that the nerve damage and limited mobility on her left side leave her physically unable to work. In addition, Avila said she cannot be around clients’ dogs due to PTSD.
Yoseline Espinoza, Avila’s daughter, testified about the call she received from her aunt that day, whom she recalled saying, “Your mom can’t breathe. Your mom can’t breathe. She keeps passing out on me. The ambulance is still not here.”
Brown admitted to some liability for negligence before the trial, but downplayed Avila’s injuries and said she was partially at fault for the incident.
During his testimony, Brown confirmed he found Avila face down and motionless on the ground after the dog attack, which caused “a lot of blood.” He remembered locking up the dog and then admitted to leaving the scene without offering her any aid after his security contacted paramedics because he wanted to avoid a media “circus.”
Brown also said he didn’t personally call 911 for fear of a leaked recording and acknowledged not asking his security team to retain surveillance footage from the incident.
“Because of how my image is and always used,” he explained, “I didn’t want a misleading story, or like a circus, from my status. It’s pretty sticky when it comes to that. So me staying out of the way was advised.”
Brown claimed he had warned Avila and her sister that his dogs were “absolutely not” friendly and that they should avoid going outside unless his security accompanied them.
Leading up to the trial, several prospective jurors were dismissed during the selection process, saying they could not be impartial due to Brown’s highly publicized felony conviction for his 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna.
Brown is also scheduled to face trial in London this October for an alleged 2023 nightclub assault.
