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A Los Angeles jury has ordered R&B singer Chris Brown to pay nearly $13 million in damages to his former housekeeper, Maria Avila, after finding him and his company negligent in a brutal 2020 dog attack that left the woman permanently disfigured. The verdict, delivered on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, concluded a two-week civil trial that exposed disturbing details about the attack and the singer's response to the emergency.
The jury ruled that Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, must pay $12.9 million to Avila for negligence. Her sister, Patricia Avila, who witnessed the attack while working alongside her at Brown's Tarzana, California home, was awarded $885,000 for emotional distress. Maria Avila's husband, Oscar Olivo, received an additional $50,000. The total award stands at approximately $13 million.
The incident occurred in 2020 when Maria Avila was emptying trash outside Brown's property. Without warning, she was attacked by Hades, a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd owned by the singer. The dog, described as a massive and aggressive breed notorious for use as guard dogs, ripped off "large chunks of her skin," according to court testimony. The attack left Avila with permanent facial disfigurement, severe scarring, vision loss, nerve damage, and limited mobility. Surgeons grafted skin from her abdomen to repair her arm, but she has been unable to return to work as a housekeeper due to physical limitations and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Brown admitted partial liability for negligence before the trial but disputed the severity of Avila's injuries and argued that she was partially at fault. During his testimony on June 18, he claimed he had personally warned both Maria and Patricia Avila that the dogs on the property were "absolutely not" friendly and instructed them not to go outside unless accompanied by security staff. However, the housekeepers denied receiving any such warning, noting that language differences would have made such a conversation unlikely.
Brown also testified that Hades was not his personal pet but was purchased and cared for by his security guards to protect his home from stalkers and break-ins. "I get a lot of stalker-type situations," he told the jury.
One of the most damaging pieces of testimony revealed that Brown did not call 911 himself or stay to help the critically injured Avila. Instead, he fled the property and drove around for hours, leaving emergency response to his employees. He explained that he feared a "media circus" if his voice were recorded on a 911 call or if he were present when police arrived.
"Because of how my image is and always used. I didn't want a misleading story, or like a circus, from my status," Brown testified. "It's pretty sticky when it comes to that. So me staying out of the way was advised."
Avila's daughter, Yoseline Espinoza, testified about the frantic call she received from her aunt after the attack: "She was just freaking out, telling me, 'Your mom can't breathe. She keeps passing out on me. The ambulance is still not here. Chris Brown fled the scene.'"
Avila filed her lawsuit in 2021, and the case went to trial in June 2026. The jury heard emotional testimony from Avila, who spoke in Spanish with an interpreter, detailing the trauma and the lifelong consequences of the attack. She walked to the jury box to show them the pattern of scars running from beneath her left eye up to her hairline and along her arm.
Following the verdict, Michael C. Murphy Jr., the attorney representing Patricia Avila, expressed relief and satisfaction. "After more than five years of litigating against Chris Brown, we are thrilled that we were able to get justice for our client, Patricia," he told Billboard. "We are so happy for her and her family after everything they went through on that horrible day. It was an honor to represent her."
The verdict came just four days after Brown began a co-headlining stadium tour with Usher across the United States. Representatives for Brown did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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