Chris Brown ordered to pay $12.9 million to housekeeper

A Los Angeles jury has ordered singer Chris Brown to pay nearly $13 million to a former housekeeper who was severely mauled by a dog at his home in 2020. The verdict, reached on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, found Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, liable for negligence in the attack that left Maria Avila with permanent disfigurement and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The incident occurred on December 12, 2020, at Brown’s property in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles. Avila testified that she was emptying a vacuum bag outside when she was attacked without warning by Hades, a large Caucasian Shepherd dog. The mauling caused severe injuries to her arm and face, requiring emergency surgery where skin was grafted from her abdomen. She spent five days in the hospital, alone due to pandemic visitor restrictions, and required dozens of stitches for facial lacerations.

During the two-week trial in Van Nuys, Avila described lasting physical and psychological damage. She told jurors she suffers from nerve damage, vision loss, and chronic pain that prevents her from sleeping and performing basic tasks. The attack also left her with an intense fear of dogs, which has ended her...