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A civil jury says R&B star Chris Brown must face the music for the vicious dog attack that in 2020 left one of the two housekeepers working at his Tarzana home hospitalized with injuries to her face, arm and leg. <\/p>\n
The Los Angeles jury on Tuesday found the 37-year-old Grammy winner liable in the years-long case and determined he must pay nearly $13 million to Maria Avila, whose sister Patricia Avila sued Brown and his Black Pyramid Co. in April 2021. Court documents reviewed by The Times on Wednesday show that Brown owes Maria Avila $12.9 million in damages including emotional distress and medical expenses. Brown must also pay $885,000 in damages to Patricia Avila, who was present during the dog attack on her sister, and $50,000 in damages to Maria\u2019s husband. <\/p>\n
Patricia Avila\u2019s attorney Michael C. Murphy Jr. told The Times in a statement his team was \u201cthrilled\u201d by the outcome. \u201cWe are so happy for her and her family after everything they went through on that horrible day,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was an honor to represent her.\u201d<\/p>\n
A legal representative for Brown did not immediately respond to The Times\u2019 request for comment on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Patricia Avila filed her civil suit against Brown in Los Angeles County Superior Court five years ago, suing the singer for premises liability, negligent infliction of emotional distress and strict liability. At the time, she was seeking an unspecified amount of damages including loss of wages, medical expenses and legal fees. <\/p>\n
Avila alleged in her lawsuit that she and sister Maria Avila were hired in November 2020 as housekeepers at Brown\u2019s home in Tarzana. The suit says the sisters were aware the singer owned dogs at the property and understood he kept the pets locked up in a different part of the home. According to the complaint, the incident occurred in December 2020 when Maria went to the home\u2019s backyard to empty out a vacuum. There, she encountered the singer\u2019s Caucasian shepherd, which \u201cproceeded to viciously attack Maria,\u201d the lawsuit said. <\/p>\n
\u201cPlaintiff [Patricia] fully recognized that the screams were coming from her own sister, knew that her sister went outside to empty a vacuum, and could hear that a dog was violently attacking her sister,\u201d the lawsuit said. \u201cThe screams were so bad that it caused Plaintiff to immediately run outside, where she found her sister covered in blood while she was screaming and crying for help. Mr. Brown proceeded to call 911.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawsuit said the dog attacked Maria around her eye, her left arm and had bitten into her leg. Paramedics responded to Brown\u2019s home and transported the woman to a hospital, where she remained for multiple days and underwent two surgeries. Patricia Avila said in the complaint that she suffered emotional distress and had been unable to work as a result of the incident. <\/p>\n
The jury reached its decision after a two-week trial in Van Nuys. <\/p>\n
As one legal saga appears to be coming to an end, another awaits Brown. The singer and his friend Omololu Akinlolu, a musician who performs as HoodyBaby), are set to stand trial in October for allegedly attacking music producer Amadou \u201cAbe\u201d Diaw in February 2023 at a London nightclub.
The singer, who notably assaulted ex-girlfriend and Fenty beauty mogul Rihanna<\/a> the night before the 2009 Grammy Awards, pleaded not guilty last year in the Diaw case. He pleaded not guilty to one count of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent, assault causing actual bodily harm and having an offensive weapon. <\/p>\n