A jury has ruled that Chris Brown should pay nearly $13 million to a woman who was mauled by the R&B star’s 200-pound dog while working as a housekeeper at his California home.
Jurors determined on Tuesday (June 30) that Brown and his company Black Pyramid LLC owe $12.9 million in damages to Maria Avila for negligence, according to Michael C. Murphy Jr., an attorney representing the victim’s sister, Patricia Avila. Patricia, who was working alongside her sister on the day of the attack, was separately awarded $885,000 for emotional distress. Maria’s husband Oscar Olivo won another $50,000 in the verdict, Murphy said.
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The incident occurred in 2020, when Maria was emptying trash outside Brown’s Tarzana, Calif., home. She was attacked out of nowhere by Hades, the singer’s Caucasian shepherd — a massive, aggressive dog breed notorious for their use as guard dogs at Russian prisons. Maria claims Hades ripped off “large chunks of her skin,” ultimately leading to permanent facial disfigurement, scarring, vision loss and nerve damage.
Maria sued over the incident in 2021, and a two-week trial was held in June. Brown accepted some liability for negligence ahead of the trial, but he disputed the extent of Maria’s injuries and argued that she was partially at fault for the incident. Brown testified on June 18 that he personally warned both Maria and Patricia that multiple dogs on the property were “absolutely not” friendly, and that they shouldn’t go outside unless accompanied by security staff.
The star also testified that Hades was not his personal pet. Rather, he said the dog was purchased and looked after by his security guards to help protect the house from break-ins. “I get a lot of stalker-type situations,” he told the jury.
Murphy, Patricia’s lawyer, told Billboard following Tuesday’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.”
“We are so happy for her and her family after everything they went through on that horrible day,” added Murphy. “It was an honor to represent her.”
Reps for Maria, Olivo and Brown did not immediately return requests for comment on the verdict. Brown is currently on the road co-headlining his Raymond & Brown Tour with Usher.
