American singer Chris Brown has been ordered to pay nearly $13 million in damages to a housekeeper who was seriously injured by a security dog at his California residence in December 2020.
A California jury delivered the verdict on June 30 following a two-week trial. The case centered on an att@ck involving Hades, a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd owned by Brown, which allegedly mauled housekeeper Maria Avila while she was taking out trash at the singer’s home in Tarzana, California.
According to Avila’s attorney, Michael C. Murphy Jr., Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, were found liable for negligence and ordered to pay Maria Avila $12.9 million in damages.
In addition, Avila’s sister, Patricia Avila, who was present during the incident, was awarded $885,000 for emotional distress, while Maria Avila’s husband, Oscar Olivo, received $50,000.
Murphy told Billboard, “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.”
During the trial, Brown maintained that the dog was kept strictly for security purposes and was not a personal pet. However, testimony presented in court suggested that rather than calling emergency services or assisting Avila after the att@ck, Brown left the scene and spent several hours driving around.
According to court proceedings, employees at the property were left to contact emergency responders and help the injured housekeeper. Brown reportedly explained that he was concerned his involvement could create a “media circus” if his voice appeared on a 911 call or if he was present when police arrived.
Although Brown acknowledged some responsibility before the trial, he testified that he had previously warned Maria Avila and her sister about the dogs and instructed them not to go outside unless security personnel were present. The sisters denied receiving such warnings, arguing that language barriers would have made such a conversation unlikely.
The verdict comes just days after Brown launched a co-headlining U.S. tour with Usher, which is scheduled to perform in stadiums across the country this summer.