Chris Brown ordered to pay housekeeper Ksh1.67B after dog attack
By BBC, July 1, 2026US singer Chris Brown has been found liable for a dog attack that left his housekeeper seriously injured at his home in 2020.
According to the BBC News, following a two-week trial in Los Angeles, the jury ruled in favour of Maria Avila, who was attacked by a 90-kilogram Caucasian shepherd owned by Chris Brown while she was taking out the rubbish at his home in Tarzana, California.
Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, have now been ordered to pay her Ksh1.67 billion in damages for negligence.
Housekeeper suffered permanent injuries
Avila told the court that the dog, named Hades, tore off large pieces of her skin, leaving her with permanent facial injuries, scarring, loss of vision and nerve damage. Brown argued that the dog was kept for security purposes and was not his personal pet.
During the trial, the jury heard testimony that instead of calling emergency services or helping Avila himself, Brown left the scene after the attack.
According to reports, he left his employees to assist Avila because he feared there would be a “media circus” if his voice was heard on the emergency call or if he was present when police arrived.
Brown explains why he left
Brown told the court he had been preparing to take a shower when he heard the dog growling. He said he rushed downstairs and found Avila lying on the ground surrounded by what he described as “a lot of blood.”
“The blood kind of freaked me out,” he said.
He added that he was “in shock” and followed his manager’s advice to leave before emergency services arrived. Before the trial began, Brown admitted some responsibility for what happened. However, he challenged the seriousness of Avila’s injuries and argued that she was partly responsible for the incident.
Warning disputed in court
Brown told the jury he had warned the two housekeepers that the dogs were “absolutely not” friendly and instructed them only to go outside when security guards were present.
However, the two sisters denied that such a conversation ever took place. They also said a language barrier would have made that discussion unlikely.
Brown explained that the dog had been bought and cared for by his security team to help protect the property from intruders.
“I get a lot of stalker-type situations,” he told the court.
Victim says she can no longer work
Speaking in Spanish through an interpreter, Avila said she was left with severe scars on her face and left arm. She also told the court she has limited movement after doctors used skin from her abdomen to repair her arm.
Court proceedings heard that she showed jurors scars stretching from beneath her left eye to her forehead, along with visible scarring on her forearm.
Avila said she has been unable to return to work as a housekeeper because she has lost strength in her arm and now suffers from post-traumatic stress that prevents her from being around dogs.
Compensation awarded to family
The court also awarded Ksh114.7 million to Avila’s sister, Patricia, who was working at the house during the attack.
Maria Avila’s husband, Oscar Olivo, was separately awarded Ksh6.5 million, according to Patricia’s lawyer.
“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,” the lawyer said.
Brown also facing UK court case
Brown is currently on tour in the United States with R&B singer Usher.
The singer is also expected to face trial in the United Kingdom in October over an alleged nightclub attack involving a music producer in 2023.
He appeared in a UK court in January alongside co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, and both were granted bail.