Liability for Dog Bite Attack Cases in California
Suffering a dog attack is a traumatic experience and it’s important to hold all the responsible parties accountable for your losses. It may come as a surprise, but people and entities other than the pet owner may also bear financial responsibility for your injuries. People are expected to exercise control over animals and take adequate safety precautions when it is in their care or on their premises.
Our experienced personal injury attorneys will explore the potential dog bite liability of all responsible parties. These may include:
- Commercial Property Owners: Property owners that rent out commercial space may incur liability for dog bites. Commercial landlords have a duty to maintain reasonably safe premises and conduct regular inspections. If a commercial property owner or their management company were aware of the potential danger, they could be held liable under California law.
- Apartment Complex Owners: Landlords that rent living space may be held accountable for animal attacks under certain circumstances. If they were aware the animal had a propensity for aggression and did not exercise a legal right to remove it; they may be held accountable for the dog attack.
- Business Owners and Organizations: In California, businesses such as day care centers may have dog bite liability even if they required you to sign a negligence waiver. Homeowners’ associations are required to maintain safe premises. Like property owners, they can be held financially accountable. Groups and entities such as animal shelters, rescue organizations, dog sellers and adoption agencies can be held liable if they knowingly did not disclose an animal’s aggressive tendencies or unknowingly claimed the animal was safe or docile.
- Dog Keeps: People that have control over the animal when the attack occurs may bear financial responsibility based on common law or ordinary negligence. This may include pet sitters, shelters, dog walkers and others that are responsible for the pet while the owner is not present.
- Off-Site Liability: Property owners may also be held liable for a dog attack if the animal escapes the premises due to insufficient or broken fencing.
California Dog Bite Law
Like many states, California has enacted statutes that provide strict liability for dog bites. Owners are generally held responsible regardless of whether the animal was previously considered aggressive. Under California law, your attorney will need to establish the following.
- Defendant owned the dog
- Dog harmed the victim
- Incident happened on public property
- Victim was on private property legally
California’s strict animal bite law has removed many of the obstacles that previously allowed responsible parties avoid liability. An experienced dog bite lawyer can now utilize expansive legal tools to pursue full and fair compensation.
Contact Johnson Attorneys Group for a Free Case Evaluation from a California Dog Bite Attorney
If you have been injured by an aggressive animal, it’s important that you have an experienced attorney to represent your legal claims. Dog bite liability can include parties, businesses, and entities beyond the owner. At the Johnson Attorneys Group, we will fight to get you the full and fair compensation you deserve. Contact us at 1-800-208-3538 to schedule a complimentary case evaluation.
