Chris Brown Housekeeper Accepts Reduced $9.5 Million Mauling Award

Acceptance of Reduced Damages to Avoid New Trial

The housekeeper who was mauled by a dog at the residence of Chris Brown has officially accepted a downward adjustment of her legal award. Following a two-week trial in June, a jury originally awarded Maria Avila $12.9 million for her injuries. However, Los Angeles County Judge Huey P. Cotton subsequently ruled that the amount was "excessive" and not supported by the evidence presented during the proceedings.

In a conditional order issued on a Tuesday, Judge Cotton provided Avila with the choice of accepting a reduced $9.5 million award or undergoing a new trial specifically focused on damages. Avila’s lawyer, Nancy Doumanian, filed a notice of acceptance confirming the decision to take the lower amount. Doumanian noted the potential for added expense, uncertainty, and the emotional toll a second trial would involve.

"Maria Avila hereby unequivocally accepts the [downward adjustment] and consents to the reduction of her damages award to $9,500,000,"

— Nancy Doumanian

Details of the 2020 Mauling Incident

The attack occurred on December 12, 2020, at the singer's home in the Tarzana neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley. Avila testified that she had gone outside to empty a vacuum bag when she was pounced on without warning by a large security dog. The animal, a Caucasian Shepherd also known as a Central Asian Ovcharka named Hades, inflicted severe injuries on her arm and face.

During her testimony, delivered in Spanish via an interpreter, Avila recounted the trauma of the event. She described suffering from extensive scarring and post-traumatic stress disorder. While on the witness stand, she rolled up her sleeve to show the jury the raised and pitted skin on her left forearm and revealed scars running from her forehead to beneath her left eye. The lacerations to her face required dozens of stitches.

"I will never be the same again,"

— Maria Avila

Avila’s legal team argued that she suffered a serious injury to her radial nerve. This injury reportedly left her with reduced movement in her wrist and fingers, making it difficult to perform daily tasks such as writing, typing, dressing, and grooming. While Judge Cotton agreed she should be compensated for "persistent pain" and emotional distress, he stated there was "insufficient evidence of extensive permanent nerve damage" to justify the original $12.9 million figure.

Testimony from Chris Brown and Legal Defense

Chris Brown, 37, was the first witness to testify at the trial in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles. He recalled hearing the dog growling and finding Avila face down and motionless in his driveway. Brown testified that he locked the dog away and instructed his security guard to call for help, though he admitted he did not personally call 911 because he feared a recording of the call would be leaked to the media.

Brown also confirmed that he left the property before paramedics arrived, stating his manager had suggested he do so. Furthermore, he acknowledged that he never requested his security team to preserve home surveillance footage of the incident. Prior to the trial, the artist admitted negligence under California’s dog-bite statute but disputed the severity of the injuries. His defense team also claimed Avila was partially at fault for going outside alone, an argument the jury ultimately rejected.

Additional Rulings and Context

The judge’s ruling did not affect a separate $855,000 award granted to Maria Avila’s sister, Patricia Avila. Patricia was working with Maria at the time of the attack and was awarded the sum for past economic damages and emotional distress. Brown's legal team had attempted to argue that the jury was biased because Brown's 2009 felony conviction for the domestic violence assault of Rihanna was mentioned during the trial, but Judge Cotton rejected this argument.

Artist Background

The performer, who is primarily associated with the Pop, Dance, and Hip Hop genres, was formed in 1989. Throughout the legal proceedings, he maintained that he had warned the housekeepers—both of whom are Spanish speakers—not to go outside without asking him first, claiming his dogs were not friendly. The women denied that such a conversation ever took place.

Judge Cotton summarized the necessity of the award reduction in his final decision regarding the jury's initial assessment of damages.

"The court finds that the jury’s award to Maria Avila is excessive. The court elects to issue a conditional order granting a new trial, as to Maria Avila only, on the issue of damages unless Plaintiff consents to a reduction of the jury’s damages to $9.5 million."

— Judge Huey P. Cotton