Chris Brown ordered to pay $13 million to former housekeeper after brutal dog attack
R&B star Chris Brown has been ordered to pay nearly $13 million in damages to his former housekeeper after she was brutally mauled by one of his dogs.
Chris Brown has been ordered by a California jury to pay nearly $13 million in damages to his former housekeeper, Maria Avila, after she was severely mauled by one of his dogs at his home in 2020.
The jury ordered Chris to pay Maria $12.9 million after finding him negligent in connection with the attack. Maria's sister, Patricia, who also worked at the singer's property, was also awarded $885,000 for the emotional distress she suffered as a result of the incident. Chris was further ordered to pay $50,000 to Maria’s husband, Oscar Olivo, for the impact the attack had on their marriage, after the husband testified that the incident affected their intimacy.
According to court testimony, Maria suffered devastating injuries after she was attacked by Brown’s approximately 200-pound dog while working at his property. She sustained severe wounds to her face and arm and continues to live with permanent scarring and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Doctors reportedly had to harvest skin from her abdomen to perform skin grafts on her badly injured arm. Maria also testified that she can no longer bend properly at the waist and is unable to continue working as a domestic worker because she is now terrified of dogs.
During the trial, Maria told the court that seeing photographs of her injuries was too traumatic and that she “will never be the same again.”
Chris also testified during the proceedings. He said he found Avila lying face down and motionless after the attack and checked that she was still breathing before securing the dog and calling his security team. However, he acknowledged that he did not personally call emergency services or offer any other help, except to tell her that help was on the way.
The singer admitted he left the scene after being advised to do so because of his celebrity status. He testified that he could see Maria had suffered severe injuries, describing significant bleeding and exposed tissue.
Maria’s daughter, Yoseline Espinoza, recalled receiving a distressing phone call from her aunt, Patricia, during the incident.
“Your mom can’t breathe. She keeps passing out on me. The ambulance is still not here. Chris Brown fled the scene,” she testified her aunt told her.
Chris denied fleeing the scene and claimed he drove around for hours and went to a gas station before being told that it was safe for him to go back home.
According to several publications, Chris reportedly said Maria was partly at fault for going outside alone and claimed he warned her about a third dog on the property that was not friendly. Maria denied that the singer had told her not to go outside alone because the dog was on site.
Brown’s attorney said although Maria was entitled to compensation, there is a “difference of opinion” over the amount the jury has ordered the singer to pay.
The case stems from the 2020 attack, which left Avila with life-altering physical and emotional injuries and ultimately ended her career as a domestic worker. The jury’s award is intended to compensate the family for medical expenses, emotional suffering, lost income and the lasting impact the incident has had on their lives.
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