02 July,2026 02:57 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Chris Brown (Pic/X)
Chris Brown is back in the headlines, this time over a civil lawsuit stemming from a 2020 dog attack at his home. The singer has been ordered to pay nearly USD 13 million in damages after a jury found him negligent in a lawsuit filed by his former housekeeper. The woman was left with severe and permanent injuries after being attacked by Brown's dog at his California home.
Singer-songwriter Chris Brown is facing legal consequences after being ordered to pay nearly USD 13 million in damages to his former housekeeper following a brutal dog attack at his home.
The attack took place in 2020 and left the housekeeper with serious injuries, reports People magazine. A Los Angeles jury ruled in favour of Maria Avila, Brown's former housekeeper, who was attacked by a 90kg Caucasian Shepherd named Hades that Brown owned for security purposes. According to Billboard, following the two-week trial, Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, have been ordered to pay Avila USD 12.9 million in damages for negligence.
During the trial, Avila testified that she was taking out the trash at Brown's Tarzana, California, home in 2020 when she was attacked by the dog, which ripped out "large chunks of her skin" and left her face and arm permanently disfigured. She has also suffered mobility issues as a result of the attack. According to People, Avila's sister, Patricia, who was also working at the home when the attack occurred, was awarded USD 885,000, while Avila's husband, Oscar Olivo, was awarded USD 50,000.
To note, Chris was once sued for USD 50 million over alleged backstage assault of concertgoers.
During the trial, Brown recalled finding Avila covered in blood and explained his reaction to the incident. "The blood kind of freaked me out," Brown said, adding that he was "in shock" when he left the scene on his manager's advice, according to the BBC.
Brown said he believed it would become a "media circus" if his voice appeared on the 911 call or if he was present when police arrived. The "No One Else" singer argued that he had warned Avila and her sister not to go near the dogs, describing them as "absolutely not" friendly.
However, the sisters denied that such a conversation ever took place and argued that the alleged warning was unlikely because of the language barrier between them. Brown said he kept the dog for security because he often found himself in "stalker-type situations."
This is not Brown's only recent legal battle. In London, he is due to stand trial in October over an alleged "unprovoked attack" on music producer Abraham Diaw with a bottle at a nightclub in 2023.
