Chris Brown’s Dog Attack: Lawsuit, Mistrial, and Retrial

Chris Brown’s former housekeeper Maria Avila is suing the singer for $90 million over a December 2020 attack by his Caucasian shepherd, Hades, that left her with facial scarring, arm injuries requiring skin grafts, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Brown has conceded that Avila deserves some compensation but disputes the amount and argues she bears partial fault. The first jury trial ended in a mistrial on June 16, 2026, after a juror researched the case online and shared what he found; a retrial began soon after and was still underway in late June 2026.

What Happened at the Tarzana Home

On December 12, 2020, Avila was working at Brown’s residence on Citrus Ridge Drive in Tarzana. She stepped outside to take out the trash when Hades, a Caucasian shepherd also known as a Central Asian Ovcharka, attacked her without warning.¹ The dog bit her face and arm and dragged her across the ground. Avila testified she thought she was going to die.²

Brown testified he heard the dog growling as he was about to shower and found Avila face down and motionless in the driveway, with a portion of her face “severed.”³ He put Hades in a kennel and told a security guard to call for help. Brown admitted he did not call 911 himself, testifying he feared the recording would leak. He also admitted he never touched Avila, offered her water, or tried to comfort her while she lay injured, and that he left the property before paramedics arrived on his manager’s advice.¹

Maria Avila’s Injuries and Lasting Harm

Avila received roughly 80 stitches in her face and arms.⁴ Surgeons took skin from her abdomen to graft onto her arm, leaving her unable to bend at the waist during recovery. She spent five days in the hospital.¹ Jurors could see raised, pitted skin covering much of her forearm and scars running from beneath her left eye across her forehead.

She testified to lasting nerve damage, chronic sensitivity on her left side that makes sleep difficult, and arm weakness that prevents her from scrubbing floors or wringing out a mop. Because most potential clients own dogs and she now suffers a deep fear of them, she has been unable to return to work as a housekeeper. She was diagnosed with PTSD. “When I look in the mirror, I remember the attack, and I don’t feel safe,” she told jurors.¹

Who Filed and What They Are Seeking

Patricia Avila, Maria’s sister, filed the suit in 2021 on behalf of herself, Maria, and Maria’s husband. Patricia was working at the home that day and ran outside to find her sister covered in blood; she brought claims for her own emotional distress, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic attacks.⁵ Maria, originally identified as “Jane Doe,” brought claims for her physical injuries and their lasting effects.⁶ Together the family is seeking $90 million.⁷ Avila is represented by attorney Nancy P. Doumanian, and the case was assigned to Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Huey P. Cotton.¹

Brown’s Response and Defense

Before trial, Brown and his lawyers acknowledged that Avila “deserves damages,” framing the case as a fight over how much rather than whether the attack occurred.¹ The defense rests on three main arguments.

First, comparative fault. Brown testified he personally warned Avila and her sister that the dogs were “absolutely not” friendly and told them not to go outside without security staff.³ Both women deny any such warning happened. Doumanian noted that both are Spanish speakers and questioned whether they would have understood warnings delivered in English.⁸

Second, ownership. Brown testified Hades was not his personal pet but was purchased and maintained by his security guards to protect the residence from break-ins and stalkers, and had lived on the property for six to eight months before the attack.⁹

Third, his conduct after the attack. Brown said his manager advised him to leave to avoid a media “circus,” and he drove around for several hours before returning. Doumanian pressed him on cross about why waiting in his own driveway with a bleeding woman until help arrived would have been a problem.⁸

Key Pretrial Rulings

On June 10, 2026, the court granted a defense motion to keep Brown’s 2009 felony assault conviction involving his former girlfriend Rihanna out of the dog bite trial. Brown’s lawyers argued it would be prejudicial and irrelevant; Avila’s team opposed the motion.¹⁰

A second dispute involves payments from Brown’s security supervisor, Emil Lewis, to the Avila family. Lewis testified in a deposition that he gave the family between $30,000 and $40,000 in personal checks and cash before and shortly after Christmas 2020, saying he “felt sorry for the family” and never told Brown. Avila’s team moved to exclude the payments as irrelevant to liability or the extent of her injuries. Brown’s team argued the payments show Lewis, not Brown, acknowledged responsibility.¹¹

The Mistrial and Retrial

The jury trial began on June 15, 2026, and lasted two days. On June 16, Judge Cotton declared a mistrial after learning a juror had searched the internet for information about the case in violation of the court’s instructions and shared what he found with other jurors.¹² Approached by TMZ, Brown reportedly said, “It happens.”⁴

Judge Cotton ordered attorneys to select a new jury from a pool already at the courthouse. After a brief delay so Brown could visit his newborn child in Las Vegas, he returned to testify on June 18, 2026.⁹ Avila took the stand on June 22, describing the attack: “First he attacked this part of my face and then he grabbed my arm and he dragged me.”² As of late June 2026, the retrial was still underway with no verdict reported.

What Happened to Hades

Hades was removed from Brown’s property after the attack. The lawsuit alleges Brown directed his team to remove the dogs before authorities arrived.⁶ Six days later, on December 18, 2020, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office picked up the dog on a property in Miranda, California, hundreds of miles north of Tarzana. Officers traced the dog to Brown’s Tarzana address through its microchip.¹³ How the dog got there has never been publicly explained.

Humboldt County shelter records described Hades as a “Dangerous/vicious dog from LA” that was “People Aggressive.” The surrender form described the dog as “unpredictable” and not neutered or housebroken. One report noted Hades had previously been declared “dangerous” by Los Angeles Animal Services, and the dog was not licensed at the Tarzana address.¹⁴ Hades was euthanized on December 24, 2020, twelve days after the attack.⁴

1
Rolling Stone. Chris Brown Housekeeper Dog Mauling Trial
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TMZ. Chris Brown Former Housekeeper Testifies in Dog Attack Case
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Billboard. Chris Brown Testifies Trial Housekeeper Dog Bite Lawsuit
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KTLA. Mistrial Declared in Chris Brown Dog Attack Lawsuit
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People. Chris Brown Sued by His Housekeeper After His Dog Allegedly Attacked Her Sister
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Complex. Chris Brown Sued Housekeeper Dog Attack
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USA Today. Chris Brown Dog Attack Lawsuit Mistrial
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Rolling Stone. Chris Brown Dog Mauling Trial Testimony
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TMZ. Chris Brown Testifies in Court
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TMZ. Chris Brown Rihanna Assault Blocked Dog Bite Trial
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TMZ. Chris Brown Security Paid Ex-Housekeeper Almost 40 Thousand
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Rolling Stone. Chris Brown Dog Mauling Trial Mistrial
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Lost Coast Outpost. Singer Chris Brown’s Pure Bred Now Euthanized
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CityWatch LA. Dog Attack Lawsuit Filed Against Singer Rapper Chris Brown