Chris Brown Wants A New Trial After Losing Dog Attack Case

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares
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Chris Brown Wants New Trial Losing Dog Attack Case
Jan 14, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Rapper Saweetie, fashion designer Tracey Mills and singer-songwriter Chris Brown attend the game between the USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Chris Brown and his camp filed a notice of intent to challenge the verdict ordering him to pay almost $13 million to his former housekeeper.

Chris Brown is currently on a massive tour with fellow R&B star Usher, but that doesn't mean he isn't staying busy with other moves. According to TMZ, he and his legal team recently filed a notice of intent to challenge the judgement in his dog attack case and begin a new trial over his former housekeeper's allegations.

For those unaware, a Los Angeles jury found Brown liable for his dog Hades mauling his then-housekeeper Maria Avila when she was taking out the trash at his home in 2020. She said she suffered nerve damage and injuries to her arm and face, which took dozens of sutures and skin grafts to recover from. The court ordered him to pay Avila $12.9 million in damages.

But now, the singer's notice yesterday (Friday, July 31) in L.A. indicates he and his company Black Pyramid LLC want the court to toss the verdict and institute a new trial. The filing reportedly points to the following alleged reasons as justifications for a new trial: excessive damages amounts for Avila, insufficient findings proving innocence, jury misconduct, and procedural irregularities that hindered his right to a fair trial.

On September 22, the court will hold a hearing to evaluate this notice of intention. Then, the judge will decide what happens with the case.

Chris Brown's Dog Attack Lawsuit

The R&B Tour: Starring Usher Raymond & Chris Brown - Nashville, TN
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JULY 25: Chris Brown performs at Nissan Stadium on July 25, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

This Chris Brown case experienced a brief mistrial when a juror looked up case facts before a court session. But it moved along quickly as another juror replaced them, leading him to where he stands today with this notice of intent.

Also, Maria Avila may intercept Chris Brown's tour earnings. Amid the ongoing Usher tour, she claimed he and his team have made no efforts to start paying the judgement against him. While this notice of intent explains why that process never began on Brown's end, we will see if this does become a possibility if the court denies his attempts to overturn the verdict.

Elsewhere, Avila might also seek royalties and other income streams. But Chris refuses to stand down in this long-running case, and we will see if his team's arguments are successful.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.

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