Chris Brown ordered to pay $12.9 million after housekeeper mauled by dog

US singer Chris Brown has been found liable for a dog attack that left his housekeeper mauled and disfigured at his home in 2020.

Following a two-week trial in Los Angeles, the jury found in favour of Maria Avila, who was attacked by a 200lb (90kg) Caucasian shepherd owned by Brown while she was emptying the rubbish at his house in Tarzana, California.

Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, must now pay her $12.9m (£9.7m) for negligence, according to US publication Billboard.

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BBC  News has contacted representatives for Brown for comment.

Avila said the dog, named Hades, ripped off “large chunks of her skin”, which subsequently led to permanent facial disfigurement, scarring, vision loss, and nerve damage.

Brown had claimed that the dog was kept for security purposes and was not his personal pet.

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During the trial, the jury heard testimony that indicated that, instead of calling the emergency services or attending to Avila himself, Brown fled the scene following the attack, Rolling Stone reported.

“We are so happy for her and her family after everything they went through on that horrible day.”

Representatives for Maria Avila and Oscar Olivo have not yet commented.

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Brown is currently on tour in the US with R&B singer Usher.

Brown is scheduled to face trial in the UK in October over an alleged attack on a music producer with a bottle in a nightclub in 2023.

He appeared in court in the UK in January alongside co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu. The pair were granted bail.

Source: BBC