A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has significantly reduced the nearly $12.9 million in damages awarded to a housekeeper who was viciously attacked by one of Chris Brown’s dogs in 2020. The ruling, issued Tuesday by Judge Huey P. Cotton, offers plaintiff Maria Avila two options: accept a reduced award of $9.5 million or proceed with a new trial specifically to determine damages. Avila has until next Tuesday to make her decision. Legal representatives for both Brown and Avila, also identified in court documents as Maria Soledad Avila Marmolejo, did not immediately comment on the decision.
The decision stems from an incident in December 2020 at Brown’s Tarzana home. Maria Avila and her sister, Patricia Avila, had been hired as housekeepers a month prior. According to the lawsuit filed in April 2021 by Patricia Avila, the sisters were aware the singer owned dogs but understood they were kept locked away. The attack occurred when Maria Avila went to the backyard to empty a vacuum. There, she encountered Brown’s Caucasian shepherd, which then attacked her around her eye, left arm, and bit her leg.
Following years of litigation, including a two-week trial in June held in Van Nuys, a civil jury found Chris Brown liable for the attack earlier this year. The jury initially awarded Maria Avila approximately $12.9 million for damages, which included emotional distress and medical expenses. Patricia Avila, the co-plaintiff, was awarded $885,000, and Maria’s husband received $50,000. Brown and his apparel business, Black Pyramid Co., which was also named as a defendant, had sought a reduction in the damages.
In their August motion, Brown's legal team argued that the damages awarded to Patricia Avila were "excessive and unsupported by evidence." However, the court on Tuesday upheld the original $885,000 award to Patricia Avila. The judge's ruling to reduce Maria Avila's award, however, cited "insufficient evidence" of "extensive permanent nerve damage" and of "the value to future pain and suffering" related to the 2020 incident, finding the jury's initial award to her "excessive." At the time of the original verdict, Patricia Avila’s attorney, Michael C. Murphy Jr., expressed that his team was "thrilled by the outcome."
This new development means Maria Avila faces a choice: accept a lower, still substantial, settlement or return to court to re-litigate the amount of damages. The core finding of Brown’s liability for the dog attack remains in place, but the financial repercussions for the Tarzana resident are now subject to recalculation or a new judicial process.