A Los Angeles judge has ruled that Chris Brown will receive a new trial limited to damages in a high-profile dog-attack lawsuit unless his former housekeeper accepts a sharply reduced award, according to court documents and multiple reports.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Huey P. Cotton found that the $12.9 million jury verdict awarded to Maria Avila in June 2026 was excessive. In an order issued around September 29, the judge conditioned a new trial on damages solely for Avila unless she consents to a reduction of the award to $9.5 million. The liability finding against Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, stands, as does a separate award of roughly $855,000 to Avila’s sister.
The case stems from a December 12, 2020, incident at Brown’s Tarzana, California home. Avila, then working as a housekeeper alongside her sister Patricia, stepped outside to empty a vacuum bag or take out trash when she was attacked by Hades, a roughly 200-pound Caucasian shepherd kept at the property as a security dog. Avila testified that the dog mauled her face, arm, and other areas, ripping off large chunks of skin. She required emergency surgery, dozens of facial stitches, and skin grafts from her abdomen to repair her arm. She has described permanent facial scarring and disfigurement, claimed nerve damage, vision issues, chronic pain, limited arm strength, and post-traumatic stress that has left her unable to return to housecleaning work and fearful of dogs.
Brown, who was home at the time, testified that he heard the dog growling, rushed downstairs, found Avila bleeding and largely unresponsive, secured the animal, and alerted security. He said he confirmed she was breathing but did not personally call 911 and left the scene before paramedics arrived, citing concern about media attention. He maintained that the dog was primarily handled by his security team due to stalker and break-in concerns and that he had warned the housekeepers the animals were not friendly and should not be approached alone. Avila’s side disputed the adequacy of any such warnings.
After years of litigation, a two-week civil trial in June 2026 (following an earlier mistrial caused by juror misconduct) ended with the jury finding Brown and Black Pyramid LLC negligent. Jurors awarded Maria Avila $12.9 million for her physical injuries, medical costs, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. Patricia Avila received approximately $855,000–$885,000 for emotional distress, and Maria’s husband, Oscar Olivo, was awarded $50,000 for loss of consortium.
Brown’s legal team sought a new trial, arguing among other grounds that the damages were excessive and that references to his past legal issues had improperly influenced the jury. Judge Cotton rejected broader challenges to the fairness of the trial and the liability determination. He focused on the size of Maria Avila’s award, citing insufficient evidence of extensive permanent nerve damage and of the value assigned to future pain and suffering, while acknowledging that compensation remained appropriate for her emotional distress and persistent pain.
Under California’s remittitur procedure, the conditional order gives Avila a choice: accept the reduced $9.5 million judgment or face a new trial confined to the question of damages. Her attorney, Nancy Doumanian, had previously urged a smaller reduction and disputed the judge’s findings on the permanence of the nerve injuries. As of the latest reports, Avila’s side had not publicly indicated which path she would take.
The ruling comes as Avila’s legal team has already moved to collect on the original judgment, including efforts to intercept certain of Brown’s tour and entertainment payments.
