American R&B singer Chris Brown has been ordered to pay more than $13 million in damages after a California jury found him liable in a negligence lawsuit brought by a housekeeper who was severely mauled by a security dog at his home.
The verdict, delivered on Tuesday, followed a two-week trial over an incident that occurred in December 2020 at Brown's property in Tarzana, California. According to court proceedings, Maria Avila was attacked by Hades, a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd owned by the singer, while she was taking out rubbish outside the residence.
The jury awarded Maria Avila approximately $12.9 million in damages against Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC. Her sister, Patricia Avila, who was also working at the property during the attack, was awarded $885,000 for emotional distress, while Maria's husband, Oscar Olivo, received a further $50,000.
Following the verdict, the family's lawyer, Michael C. Murphy Jr., welcomed the outcome, describing it as long-awaited justice after more than five years of legal proceedings.
Brown maintained during the trial that the dog was kept solely for security purposes and was not his personal pet. However, evidence presented in court suggested that instead of assisting the injured housekeeper or contacting emergency services, the singer left the scene and spent several hours driving around while employees called 911 and helped the victim.
The musician told the court he stayed away because he feared his presence would create a "media circus" if police or emergency responders recognised him.
Brown also testified that he had previously warned Maria Avila and her sister not to enter areas where the dogs were kept unless accompanied by security personnel. However, both women denied receiving such instructions, arguing that language barriers would have made such a conversation unlikely.
The ruling comes just days after Brown launched his co-headlining stadium tour across the United States with fellow R&B star Usher.
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