Chris Brown ordered to pay $13 million after his dog mauled housekeeper in horrific attack

Chris Brown has been ordered to pay $13 million in damages to his former housekeeper after a horrific dog attack at his Los Angeles mansion in December 2020.

Maria Avila was attacked by the US singer’s 90kg Caucasian shepherd while she was emptying the bins outside at his house in Tarzana, California. In court, she claimed that the dog, called Hades, ripped off “large chunks of her skin” and left her with permanent facial disfigurement, scarring, vision loss and nerve damage, Billboard reports.

Brown was at home when the incident happened and was about to get in the shower when he heard the dog growling. He testified that he went downstairs and found his housekeeper lying still, covered in “a lot of blood”. The singer said he fled the scene to avoid a “media circus” if his voice was heard on the 911 call and left his employees to call the emergency services instead. “The blood kind of freaked me out,” he said. “I was in shock.”

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Brown told the jury that he owned the dog for security, to protect the home from break-ins, as he gets “a lot of stalker-type situations,” and it wasn’t his personal pet. However, there are photos of the canine on his Instagram feed from months before the attack with a red love heart in the caption.

He also claimed that he warned his staff they were “absolutely not” friendly, and they shouldn’t go outside alone without security, but the housekeepers denied ever being told that.

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Maria sued in 2021, and the two-week trial was finally held in June 2026. On Tuesday (30th June), a jury ruled that the singer and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, must pay $12.9 million in damages to Maria Avila for negligence, Michael C. Murphy Jr, a lawyer representing Avila’s sister, said.

Credit: Thomas Krych/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

The housekeeper claimed that she hadn’t been able to return to work because of a lack of arm strength and post-traumatic stress from being around dogs.

“She’s not the same,” Avila’s daughter, Yoseline Espinozashe, told the court as per Rolling Stone. “She used to have a spark in her. She always dressed up, had her makeup done, her hair done, everything. Now she doesn’t take the time to do that. Her personality has changed. She doesn’t like going out anymore. She doesn’t even like to be in public settings. She doesn’t like pictures. She doesn’t like family outings. She doesn’t want people to see her face.”

Maria was working with her sister on the day of the attack, and a further $885,000 was awarded to Patricia for emotional distress. Maria’s husband, Oscar Olivo, also won $50,000 in damages.

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Featured image credit: Thomas Krych/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock and Chris Brown/Instagram