American R&B star Chris Brown has been ordered to pay nearly $13 million in damages after a California jury found him liable in a lawsuit brought by a housekeeper who was severely attacked by a security dog at his residence.
The verdict, delivered on Tuesday, June 30, followed a two-week trial over an incident that occurred in December 2020 at Brown’s home in Tarzana.
The lawsuit was filed by Maria Avila, who was emptying trash outside the property when she was attacked by Hades, a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd used for security at the residence. She suffered serious injuries during the attack.
According to her lawyer, Michael C. Murphy Jr., the jury found Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, negligent and awarded Maria Avila $12.9 million in damages.
The court also awarded $885,000 to Avila’s sister, Patricia Avila, who was present during the incident and successfully claimed emotional distress. In a separate ruling, Maria Avila’s husband, Oscar Olivo, received $50,000.
Reacting to the judgment, Murphy said the verdict marked the end of more than five years of legal proceedings and described it as justice for the family following the traumatic incident.
During the trial, Brown maintained that Hades was strictly a security animal and not a personal pet. However, testimony presented in court alleged that after the attack, the singer did not immediately assist the injured housekeeper or contact emergency responders.
Witnesses claimed Brown left the property while employees called 911 and attended to Avila. The singer explained that he feared his presence or voice on the emergency call would attract widespread media attention and create what he described as a “media circus.”
Before the trial, Brown acknowledged partial responsibility for the incident. He also testified that he had previously warned Maria Avila and her sister not to go outside unless security personnel were present because of the dogs on the property.
The two sisters disputed that claim, telling the court they were never given such instructions. They also argued that language barriers would have made such a conversation unlikely.
The ruling comes just days after Brown launched a co-headlining stadium tour across the United States with fellow R&B singer Usher, with performances scheduled throughout the summer.
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