Chris Brown seeks to have the $12.9 million verdict regarding the dog attack dismissed
A court will hear his case on September 22 after he filed notice on Friday alleging jury misconduct and excessive damages.
Chris Brown is requesting a new trial and the overturning of the $12.9 million judgment against him in the dog attack case. Two weeks after the judgment was officially entered against him, on Friday, July 31, he and his business, Black Pyramid LLC, filed a notice of intention in Los Angeles.
Four arguments are presented in the filing. According to his side, there was jury misconduct, the damages awarded were disproportionate, irregular proceedings prevented him from receiving a fair trial, and there were insufficient findings to justify the verdict. On September 22, a judge will hear those arguments and make a decision regarding the notice.
Rather than being the motion itself, a notice of intention is an initial step. It maintains the deadline for filing a formal request and notifies the court and the opposing party that one is forthcoming. In the interim, the verdict remains unchanged.
The lawsuit began on December 12, 2020, while Maria Avila was employed as a housekeeper at Brown’s Tarzana, California, residence. Hades, his 200-pound Caucasian shepherd, attacked her when she was bringing out the trash. Avila suffered serious, long-lasting injuries. Numerous sutures and skin grafts were needed to heal her facial deformity, noticeable scarring, partial vision loss, and nerve damage.
On June 30, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury found Brown and Black Pyramid responsible and gave Avila a $12.9 million award. On July 16, the judgment was entered.
The actual trial was not without its difficulties. After a jury searched up information about the case outside of court—something jurors are not allowed to do—it was momentarily declared a mistrial in June. The trial proceeded to its verdict after the court seated a substitute juror instead of starting anew. Although the notice does not specify which incident it relates to, it is likely related to the jury misconduct accusation now in the file.
Brown’s schedule plays a significant role in this scenario, as he is now traveling with Usher on the R&B Tour. In order to comply with the ruling, Avila’s side has already taken action to seize his tour proceeds. In court documents filed on her behalf, she listed royalties, licensing contracts, product sales, and sponsorship arrangements as other possibilities to seek in the event that his touring revenue is insufficient to pay his debts. The hearing on September 22 takes place in between the tour’s stadium gigs in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
His legal predicament in London is unrelated to this, and the two are frequently confused. Brown entered a guilty plea to affray, a public order offense, at Southwark Crown Court on July 24 in connection with a fight that occurred in a London nightclub in 2023. The more serious accusations, such as possessing an offensive weapon and attempting to cause grievous bodily injury with intent, were dropped as a result of that plea. After being detained for about a week in May 2025, he was granted £5 million bail. On October 26, he will be sentenced there. No relation to the dog, different case, different nation.
The $12.9 million judgment is currently in effect, and he will find out on September 22 if he is given another chance.
