A Jury Found Chris Brown Liable After His 200-Pound Guard Dog Mauled His Housekeeper. She Was Awarded $12.9 Million

A Los Angeles Superior Court jury in Van Nuys returned the verdict on June 30, 2026, after a roughly two-week retrial that followed a mistrial earlier in the month.

Maria Avila, Brown’s former housekeeper, was mauled by the dog, named Hades, at his Tarzana property on December 12, 2020, while she was taking out the trash. Her attorneys described injuries that ended her career: facial and arm lacerations, disfigurement, extensive scarring, skin grafts, nerve damage, limited mobility, and PTSD.

The jury awarded Avila $12.9 million. It also awarded $885,000 to her sister, Patricia Avila, who was also working at the property, and $50,000 to Maria’s husband, Oscar Olivo, bringing the total to roughly $13.8 million.

Brown had admitted some negligence before the trial but disputed the extent of the injuries and damages. He testified that he secured the dog after the attack but did not call 911 or render aid, and that he left before paramedics arrived. He said the decision was about protecting his public image and denied that he had fled the scene: “Because of how my image is and always used. I didn’t want a misleading story, or like a circus, from my status. So me staying out of the way was advised.”

Brown’s head of security had reportedly paid the family between $30,000 and $40,000 earlier.

Michael C. Murphy Jr., an attorney for Patricia Avila, said after the verdict: “After more than five years of litigating against Chris Brown, we are thrilled that we were able to get justice for our client, Patricia. We are so happy for her and her family after everything they went through on that horrible day. It was an honor to represent her.”

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