Chris Brown has been ordered to pay nearly $13 million in damages following a high-profile civil trial over a vicious dog attack at his California home. A Los Angeles jury found the US singer and his lifestyle company, Black Pyramid LLC, liable for negligence after his 200-pound Caucasian shepherd severely mauled his housekeeper, Maria Avila. According to a report by US publication Billboard, the final verdict marks the end of a contentious two-week trial regarding the traumatic 2020 incident.
The legal battle stemmed from a horrific afternoon at the performer's Tarzana property when the animal, named Hades, attacked Avila while she was taking out the domestic rubbish. Avila suffered permanent facial disfigurement, severe nerve damage, and vision loss from the mauling. During the courtroom proceedings, the jury listened to alarming testimony indicating that Brown fled his estate immediately after the attack rather than assisting the victim or calling emergency services. The singer admitted he left the property on his manager's advice because he panicked at the sight of the blood and desperately wanted to avoid a media circus.
While Brown acknowledged some degree of responsibility prior to the trial, his defense team actively disputed the true extent of the physical damage and tried to shift blame onto the employee. He claimed he had explicitly warned his staff that the security dogs were highly aggressive, though Avila and her sister strongly denied that any such conversation took place due to a distinct language barrier. Due to severe arm scarring and lingering post-traumatic stress, Avila testified that she remains entirely unable to return to her regular employment.
Billboard confirmed that the jury also awarded an additional $885,000 to Avila’s sister, Patricia, who was present during the mauling, alongside $50,000 to Maria's husband, Oscar Olivo. Legal representatives for the family expressed immense gratitude, stating they were thrilled to finally achieve justice after five years of intense litigation. The multi-million dollar verdict arrives while Brown continues a major North American concert tour, though he is scheduled to face a separate criminal trial in the United Kingdom this autumn over a nightclub altercation.
