Chris Brown ordered to pay $12.9 million after his dog attacked house cleaner: “I bought it for security reasons”

A Los Angeles jury has ruled that American singer Chris Brown is liable for an attack that occurred on his property in Tarzana, California, ordering him to pay $12.9 million in damages to Maria Avila, the house cleaner who was seriously injured during the 2020 incident.

The decision came at the end of a two-week trial, in which the jury concluded that Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, had acted negligently. According to the case, Avila was attacked by a 90-kilogram Caucasian Shepherd dog named Hades while she was taking out the trash from the artist’s home.

In her testimony, Avila said the attack caused severe injuries, including large skin tears, permanent facial disfigurement, partial vision loss, nerve damage, and limited movement in her left arm. She also said that because of the physical consequences and post-traumatic stress, she has been unable to return to work.

During the proceedings, the jury heard that Brown left the scene without notifying emergency services, leaving his employees to care for the injured woman. For his part, the singer claimed he acted on his manager’s advice, fearing that his presence would attract major media attention.

Brown acknowledged that he bore some responsibility, but disputed the extent of the injuries and argued that Avila also shared some of the blame. He said he had warned Maria Avila and her sister, Patricia, not to go outside without security guards present because the dogs were not friendly. Both women rejected that claim.

The singer also explained that the dog had been bought for security reasons and was handled by guards to protect the property, citing numerous stalking incidents that, according to him, he had experienced.

In addition to the amount awarded to Maria Avila, the jury also ordered $885,000 in damages for her sister, Patricia, as well as $50,000 for Avila’s husband, Oscar Olivo.