Chris Brown and Company Ordered to Pay $13 Million After Housekeeper Mauled by Security Dog

A California jury has ordered Chris Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, to pay $12.9 million in damages to Maria Avila, a housekeeper who was severely mauled by a large security dog on Brown’s property in December 2020.

According to Michael C. Murphy Jr., the attorney representing the family, the judgment follows a finding of negligence. In addition to the primary award for Avila, the jury awarded $885,000 to her sister, Patricia Avila, for emotional distress. Patricia was present during the attack. Furthermore, Maria’s husband, Oscar Olivo, was awarded $50,000 after testifying that the tragedy damaged their marriage and intimacy.

During a two-week trial in Van Nuys, California, Maria Avila provided emotional testimony regarding the December 12 attack at Brown’s Tarzana home. She described suffering severe injuries to her face and arm, extensive scarring, and ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder. “I will never be the same again,” she told the jury.

Testifying through an interpreter, Avila detailed a grueling medical recovery that included skin grafts harvested from her abdomen to repair her arm, leaving her in chronic pain and unable to bend at the waist. She also required dozens of stitches for facial lacerations. Due to pandemic-era restrictions, she spent five days in the hospital without the support of her family.

Avila, a mother of three, explained that nerve damage and physical limitations have made basic daily tasks difficult. She noted that she can no longer perform the heavy labor required for her profession, such as scrubbing floors. Additionally, a profound fear of dogs—most of whom are owned by her former clients—has effectively ended her career as a housekeeper.

Yoseline Espinoza, Avila’s daughter, testified about a frantic call she received from her aunt, Patricia, who described her mother as unable to breathe and passing out while stating that Chris Brown had fled the scene. Espinoza told the court she feared her mother would not survive.

Chris Brown, 37, testified that upon hearing the dog, Hades, growling, he found Avila unconscious on the ground. Brown claimed he secured the animal and instructed his security guard to call for help, though he admitted he did not call 911 himself to avoid a recording being leaked to the press. He testified that he provided minimal comfort to Avila, offering only a towel and water while informing her that help was coming.

Brown described the injuries as “graphic,” noting that the skin on Avila’s face was “severed” and bleeding heavily. He explained that he left the premises before paramedics arrived on the advice of his manager, citing his celebrity status. He also confirmed that he failed to instruct security to preserve the home’s surveillance footage of the incident.

During cross-examination, attorney Nancy Doumanian questioned why Brown’s celebrity status justified leaving a bleeding woman in his driveway. Brown responded that he wanted to avoid a “circus” and a “misleading story,” asserting that he did not flee but rather drove around for several hours before returning home.

Avila testified that she was unaware the Caucasian Shepherd was on the property that day, having only seen Brown’s smaller French bulldogs. She disputed Brown’s claim that she had been warned not to go outside without an escort. She recalled going outside to empty a vacuum bag when the attack occurred, though she can only remember the event in flashes.

In a poignant moment for the jury, Avila revealed the permanent physical toll of the attack, showing the pitted skin on her forearm and the scars running across her forehead and under her eye.

Prior to the trial, Brown admitted negligence under California’s dog-bite statute but disputed the severity of the injuries and argued that Avila was partially at fault. While his legal team acknowledged she was entitled to some compensation, they contested the total amount of damages.

The trial saw several prospective jurors dismissed after mentioning Brown’s 2009 felony conviction involving Rihanna. Although the judge ruled that prior history was irrelevant to the current case, the mentions occurred spontaneously during the selection process.

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