Chris Brown has been instructed to pay a substantial amount of nearly $13 million in damages to his former housekeeper, Maria Avila, following a vicious dog attack that occurred at his residence in 2020.
A jury in Los Angeles has ruled in favor of Avila, who was brutally attacked by a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd named Hades, owned by Brown for security purposes, resulting in severe injuries.
After a two-week trial, Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, have been ordered to pay Avila a significant amount of $12.9 million for negligence, as reported by Billboard.
During the trial, Avila recounted the horrific incident that took place in 2020, when she was taking out the trash at Brown’s Tarzana, California home, and was suddenly attacked by the dog, which ripped out large chunks of her skin, leaving her face and arm permanently disfigured, and causing her to suffer from mobility issues as a result of the attack.
Avila’s sister, Patricia, who was working at the time of the attack, was also awarded a substantial amount of $885,000, while Avila’s husband, Oscar Olivo, was awarded $50,000, according to Billboard.
Brown shared his account of finding Avila covered in blood during the trial, describing his initial reactions and explaining his behavior afterwards, stating that the sight of blood had freaked him out, and that he was in shock when he fled the scene on his manager’s advice, as reported by the BBC.
Brown claimed that he had warned Avila and her sister to stay away from the dogs, which he described as “absolutely not” friendly, but the sisters disputed this claim, citing a language barrier that made such a conversation unlikely.
Brown justified keeping the dog for safety, citing his frequent encounters with “stalker-type situations”, and is currently on tour with Usher, preparing for upcoming shows in Detroit on July 2 and 3.
Additionally, Brown is facing a trial in the U.K. this fall, following a 2023 nightclub brawl, and in July 2025, he pleaded not guilty to causing bodily harm to a music producer, and denied possessing an offensive weapon, a tequila bottle, during the alleged attack.
PEOPLE has reached out to Brown’s attorney for a comment on the matter.
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