LA Shelter Dog Bite Brings $5.4M Verdict

A Los Angeles County jury recently awarded $5.4 million to a woman who was attacked by a dog at a city animal shelter. The dog had a documented history of biting others, and neither the shelter nor the rescue organization involved disclosed that information. The case is a reminder of what California law already demands: people handling or receiving a dog must be warned about known dangerous behavior.

What Happened at the Shelter

In September 2020, Genice Horta was hired by a rescue group to transport a Belgian Malinois named Maximus from the East Valley Animal Shelter to Arizona. A shelter employee told her the dog had kennel anxiety. No one told her the dog had previously attacked a teenager and a shelter worker, sending both to the hospital.

Horta offered the dog a treat containing trazodone, a common anxiety medication for dogs. The dog took the treat, then lunged and latched onto her right hand and arm. She required six surgeries to repair the bones and nerves, and she was left with permanent damage, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times.

How the Jury Split Liability

After a 10-day trial, the jury found the city of Los Angeles 62.5 percent liable and the rescue group 25 percent liable. Horta herself was assigned 12.5 percent of the fault. Under California’s comparative negligence rules, that percentage reduced her total award but did not eliminate her right to recover.

This was the third multimillion-dollar payout in recent years involving allegations that city shelters failed to warn people about dogs with known bite histories. A previous case resulted in a $3.25 million settlement after a woman was seriously injured by a dog she adopted from the South LA shelter without being told it had bitten someone before. An Inglewood dog bite lawyer can help determine whether a shelter, rescue organization, or owner failed to disclose a known bite history in your case.

What California Law Requires

California imposes strict liability on dog owners under Civil Code Section 3342. The owner is responsible for a bite regardless of whether the dog has shown aggression in the past. If the dog bites someone in a public place or while the person is lawfully on private property, the owner pays.

When a government agency operates an animal shelter, additional duties apply. State law requires shelters to disclose a dog’s bite history before releasing the animal to an adopter, a rescue, or anyone else handling it. When that disclosure does not happen, the consequences can be severe for the person left in the dark.

An Inglewood dog bite case may involve similar failures. Shelters, landlords, and dog owners all carry a duty to warn about known aggression, and a failure to do so can form the basis of a claim.

Why These Cases Matter Beyond the Verdict

The size of this award reflects more than just the injuries themselves. It accounts for:

• Six surgeries and permanent nerve damage to the victim’s arm
• Lost income and reduced ability to work
• Ongoing pain and physical limitations
• The emotional toll of an attack that was entirely preventable

Courts take these damages seriously when the evidence shows that a warning would have prevented the incident altogether. A simple disclosure about the dog’s bite history would have changed the outcome for Horta.

For anyone dealing with an Inglewood dog bite injury, the same principle applies. Accountability starts with proving what the owner or handler knew and whether they took reasonable steps to prevent the attack.

If you were bitten by a dog and believe the owner or another party failed to warn you or control the animal, our Inglewood, CA dog bite lawyer can evaluate your case and identify every party that may be liable.

At Cohen Injury Law Group, we handle dog bite claims throughout Los Angeles County and fight for compensation that reflects the full scope of our clients’ injuries. Contact us to discuss what happened and find out what your case may be worth.