American singer Chris Brown has reached a $9.5 million settlement with his former housekeeper Maria Avila in a nearly five-year lawsuit over an attack by his dog Hades at his home in Tarzana, California.
The incident occurred in December 2020, when Maria Avila was attacked by the dog while working on the singer's property. The woman suffered serious injuries to her face, hands and other parts of her body and subsequently filed a lawsuit against Chris Brown.
A jury awarded Avila $12.9 million in damages over the summer. However, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Huey P. Cotton found the amount excessive and ruled that the evidence did not fully support the amounts awarded for alleged permanent disabilities and future pain and suffering.
The court suggested that the damages be reduced to $9.5 million, and that if Maria Avila refused, a new trial be held solely to determine the amount of damages. The former housekeeper's lawyer, Nancy Dumanyan, confirmed in court documents that her client accepted the reduced amount, which avoids a new trial for damages.
During the trial, Maria Avila said that the effects of the attack continue to affect her life. Her lawyers cited nerve damage that led to problems with finger and wrist movement, as well as ongoing emotional effects.
Chris Brown, for his part, accepted partial responsibility for what happened, but disputed the size and severity of some of the claimed damages. His defense requested a new trial, also citing alleged legal errors in the initial hearing of the case.
The singer testified that after the attack, he saw Maria Avila's serious injuries and checked to see if she was breathing. Chris Brown said he later took the dogs home and called security, and after learning that medical help was on the way, left the property on the advice of his manager.
The “Forever” singer also claims that employees at his home were warned not to approach the dogs without security. Chris Brown said Hades, a Central Asian Shepherd, was hired to guard the property because of previous problems with intruders and stalkers.
Maria Avila disputes the version that she was warned not to go out in the area where the animal was.
Maria’s sister, Patricia Avila, also worked at the property at the time of the incident. The court awarded Patricia a total of $885,000 in damages, including emotional distress.
Chris Brown is one of the most successful American R&B artists of the past two decades. His career includes hits such as “Run It!“, “Forever“ and “No Guidance“, as well as numerous