Singer Chris Brown has reached a $9.5 million settlement with a former housekeeper who was mauled by his dog at his Tarzana home in December 2020, ending a lawsuit that began in 2021.
Singer Chris Brown has settled a long-running lawsuit tied to a 2020 dog attack at his Tarzana home, bringing the legal fight to a close.
Brown, 37, agreed to pay $9.5 million to former housekeeper Maria Avila, who was attacked by his guard dog Hades in December 2020 at his Tarzana residence, according to a notice of acceptance reviewed by The Daily Mail.
The amount marks a $3.4 million reduction from the $12.9 million in damages a jury had originally awarded Avila. After deeming the jury's ruling excessive, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Huey P. Cotton granted Brown a new trial to determine damages if Avila had declined the offer. Avila's attorney, Nancy Doumanian, said her client accepted the offer and consented to the reduction in line with the court's September 29 order.
The judge had noted that there was insufficient evidence of extensive permanent nerve damage and of the value assigned to future pain and suffering. The ruling acknowledged evidence of future emotional distress, humiliation, shame and embarrassment, along with some persistent pain from nerve damage.
Avila's attorney had last week argued that the former housekeeper had problems with her fingers and wrist following a radial nerve injury and had asked the court to set the lowered total at $11 million.
In a separate award, Brown and his company were ordered to pay $885,000 to Avila's sister Patricia, who had also been working on the premises that day, citing emotional distress.
Avila originally filed suit in 2021 seeking $90 million. Testifying that she would "never be the same again," she described being attacked in the face, hand and foot while emptying a vacuum. Her daughter Yoseline Espinoza said her aunt called in a panic shortly after the incident, saying Avila could not breathe and kept passing out.
In pretrial testimony, Brown said he was alerted to the attack by the sound of Hades growling and that he had tried to confirm Avila was breathing before putting the dogs away and calling for security. He said he left the home before first responders arrived on the advice of his manager.
Brown testified that Hades, a Central Asian Ovcharka, had been acquired to secure the premises under the supervision of guards due to a number of stalker-related situations. He accepted partial liability for the incident but said Avila's injuries had been overstated.
Legal representatives for both sides have not yet responded to requests for further comment.
This article was generated with AI assistance.