R&B star Chris Brown ordered to pay $13m to housekeeper who was molested by his dog | Chris Brown

R&B star Chris Brown has been ordered to pay $12.9m in damages to a domestic worker who was attacked by a dog at one of his homes.

Maria Avila was working at Brown’s home in Tarzana, Californiain 2020 when he was attacked by Hades, a Caucasian shepherd who was used as a guard dog. At the trial in Van Nuys, California, Avila said she suffered severe injuries to her arm and face, which required multiple sutures and skin grafts from her abdomen to her arm. He said he was left with post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as nerve damage that made it difficult to work.

Brown was at home at the time of the attack, and in his testimony he said he kept the dog in the cage after it injured Avila. His manager called an ambulance but Brown left before it could, telling the court he did it to avoid “the spectacle, because of me as an artist…

He argued that a watchdog was necessary because “I get a lot of stalker-type stuff”. Brown admitted negligence, but said he warned Avila and his sister Patricia not to go outside without asking him because of the danger of Hades, although Avilas denied that this conversation took place. Brown also disputed the extent of Avila’s injury.

Avila sued Brown in 2021 but the case was dismissed, with the court agreeing with Avilas. According to Billboard, Patricia Avila was also awarded $885,000 for emotional distress, and Maria’s husband Oscar Olivo paid $50,000.

Michael C Murphy Jr, Patricia’s attorney, told Rolling Stone: “After more than five years of suing Chris Brown, we were happy to finally get justice for our client, Patricia.

Brown has become one of the most successful R&B artists in the US, with eight of his 12 albums certified platinum there. He is currently on tour with Usher, with dates in the US and Canada.

The dog attack is the latest in a long line of crimes and charges Brown has faced.

In 2009, Brown was arrested for assaulting his then-girlfriend, pop singer Rihanna, and after pleading guilty was sentenced to community service, a restraining order and probation for five years. He broke his probation in 2014 and was jailed for 131 days. In 2016 he walked out of court after accusing him of assault by a former manager, and another friend, Karrueche Tran, was granted a restraining order against Brown in 2017.

In 2023, Brown allegedly assaulted music producer Abraham Diaw at a Mayfair members’ club. Brown was arrested in 2025 and charged with grievous bodily harm with intent, and pleaded not guilty at Southwark Crown Court. His trial will begin at the same court on October 26, alongside his co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, AKA HoodyBaby singer.

Brown filed a personal defamation lawsuit alleging that he assaulted a yacht in Miami in 2020. Brown also attempted to file a $500m lawsuit against the makers of the documentary, Chris Brown: A History of Violence, which detailed the assault. The case was dismissed by a judge in January, who said the film presented a limitation, but the judge allowed Brown’s case against his accuser to proceed to the next stage.