The award-winning star was found liable by the court over the 2020 dog attack at his home that left his housekeeper disfigured.
In 2020, Maria Avila, who was working alongside her sister Patricia as Chris Brown’s housekeeper, was attacked by the singer’s 200lb dog.
Brown accepted culpability for the attack but questioned the extent of the damages.
The jury awarded $12.9 million to Avila and also monetary damages to her sister and husband.
In the trial that lasted two weeks in Los Angeles, the jury agreed that the musician was culpable in the attack on Maria Avila by his 200lb Caucasian Shepherd while she was carrying out her job in his California home.
According to Billboard, the jury ordered that Chris Brown pay Avila $12.9 million, which is over 19 billion naira.
According to the housekeeper, the dog named Hades ripped off “large chunks of her skin,” which later led to permanent facial disfigurement, nerve damage, and loss of vision.
Following a two-week trial in Los Angeles, the jury found in favour of Maria Avila, who was attacked by a 200lb (90kg) Caucasian shepherd owned by Brown while she was emptying the rubbish at his house in Tarzana, California.
Brown’s lawyers argued that the dog was kept for security purposes and not his personal pet. However, testimony was heard narrating how the singer fled the scene instead of calling the emergency services or attending to his housekeeper himself.
Chris Brown accepts blame but disputes the extent of the damages
According to Chris Brown, he was indoors when he heard the dog growling, only to step out and find his housekeeper lying motionless in a pool of blood. He added that the blood “freaked him out” and he was “in shock” when his manager advised that they leave the scene before the paramedics arrived.
Before the trial started, the musician accepted culpability for the attack, but disputed the extent of Avila’s injuries and argued that she was partially at fault for the incident.
Brown said he had sternly warned Avila and her sister that the dogs were not friendly and told them only to go outside when security was present. The sisters denied having such a conversation with the singer, with a language barrier cited as further evidence.
Brown told the jury that the dog was purchased and looked after by his security guards to help protect the house from break-ins over incessant stalking situations.
Speaking in Spanish with an interpreter, Avila told the court she was left with severe scarring on her face and left arm, as well as limited mobility after surgeons grafted skin from her abdomen to repair her arm.
According to Billboard, the jury awarded $885,000 to Avila’s sister Patricia, who was also working when the attack took place. Avila’s husband, Oscar Olivo, was separately awarded $50,000.
Chris Brown’s legal battles are the latest in his run-in with the law. In May 2026, he was arrested in London over a 2023 nightclub incident where he was alleged to have attacked his victim with a bottle.
Despite his legal battles, the singer recently released the deluxe version of his 2026 self-titled album.
