The verdict in favor of Brown’s former housekeeper, Maria Avila, came after a two-week trial.

Chris Brown ordered to pay $13 million to housekeeper mauled in dog attack

The verdict in favor of Brown's former housekeeper, Maria Avila, came after a two-week trial.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Entertainment Tonight and Popsugar.

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July 1, 2026 10:48 a.m. ET

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Chris Brown in 2025. Credit:

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- A judge has ordered Chris Brown to pay his former housekeeper $13 million after a two-week trial.

- A jury ruled in favor of Maria Avila, who was attacked by Brown's 200-pound Caucasian shepherd named Hades in 2020.

- The verdict comes amid Brown's co-headlining tour with Usher that will play in stadiums across the U.S. this summer.

Chris Brown has to dish out a pretty penny following a two-week trial regarding the 2020 incident in which his dog attacked his former housekeeper.

On Tuesday, a Los Angeles jury ruled that the singer was liable for $13 million after his 200-pound Caucasian shepherd, Hades, attacked and disfigured Maria Avila while she was emptying trash outside the singer's Tarzana, Calif., house.

According to Michael C. Murphy Jr. — an attorney representing the victim’s sister, Patricia Avila —Brown and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, must pay $12.9 million to Maria for negligence, per *Billboard*. Murphy also told the publication that Brown and his company are must pay Patricia, who was also working when the mauling occurred, $885,000 for emotional distress, and Maria's husband, Oscar Olivo, $50,000.

Murphy and reps for Brown did not immediately respond when ** reached out for comment.

Chris Brown in 2026.

Marc Piasecki/WireImage

*Billboard* reported that during the two-week trial, Maria testified that she was "attacked out of nowhere" by Hades while emptying the trash outside Brown's home. According to the American Kennel Club, the Caucasian Shepherd is a "serious guardian breed and should never be taken lightly." They're also described as "highly protective of their family and property," and are known for their work as guard dogs.

Maria told the jury that Hades ripped off "large chunks of her skin," ultimately leading to permanent facial disfigurement, scarring, vision loss, and nerve damage. She sued Brown over the incident in 2021.

While Brown accepted some liability for negligence before the trial, he disputed the extent of Maria’s injuries and argued that she was partially at fault for the incident, per *Billboard*. On June 18, Brown testified that he'd warned both Maria and Patricia that multiple dogs on the property were "absolutely not" friendly, and that they shouldn't go outside unless accompanied by security staff.

The singer also claimed that Hades was not his personal pet but was looked after by his security guards to help protect the house from break-ins. "I get a lot of stalker-type situations," he told the jury.

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"After more than five years of litigating against Chris Brown, we are thrilled that we were able to get justice for our client, Patricia," Murphy 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."

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The $13 million ruling comes amid Brown's R&B Tour with co-headliner Usher. But it's not the only legal proceeding the singer will go through this year. The singer is currently scheduled to face trial in London in October over an alleged "unprovoked attack" on music producer Abraham Diaw with a bottle in a nightclub in 2003.

He previously appeared in court in the U.K. in January along with his co-defendant in that case, Omololu Akinlolu. They both were granted bail, allowing Brown to continue his stadium tour this year.

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