Another $11,000,000 dog bite Animal Injury, Dog Bite

Cse_ · Mar 27, 2004

My son (10 yrs old) and his friend (12yrs old) were in my son's room and teasing the dog (cocker spaniel). I put the dog into a backyard and closed the door and told children to stay in the room and not to tease the dog. A few hours later they let the dog inside through the window and the dog bit my son's friend on a side of his nose. I took him to the Emergency Room, where they put two stitches. Three years later I am being sued for $11M. I have a home insurance and insurance lawyer suggests to find a lawyer for myself since they could not seattle.
How do I do it right and what are my chances?

pilawman · Jun 3, 2004

Originally posted by Cse
Three years later I am being sued for $11M.
How do I do it right and what are my chances?
Click to expand...

Cse,

That sounds like an absurd amount for damages. Hopefully you've got this resolved by now. w/o knowing all of the details, I'd say your chances of paying less than $11 million are pretty good.

Many states have 3 strikes type laws for dogs. A lot will depend on whether your dog was predisposed to such behavior. That being said, even if liability is clear, those damages are laughable.

You might find this information on dog bite law helpful.

Michael Wechsler · Jun 6, 2004

Originally posted by Cse
My son (10 yrs old) and his friend (12yrs old) were in my son's room and teasing the dog (cocker spaniel). I put the dog into a backyard and closed the door and told children to stay in the room and not to tease the dog. A few hours later they let the dog inside through the window and the dog bit my son's friend on a side of his nose. I took him to the Emergency Room, where they put two stitches. Three years later I am being sued for $11M. I have a home insurance and insurance lawyer suggests to find a lawyer for myself since they could not seattle.
How do I do it right and what are my chances?
Click to expand...

Being sued for $11M might help you in this instance. It is such an absurd amount of money (unless there is some significant bodily harm like a loss of limb, etc.) that it should cast the plaintiff and attorney in a poor light.

It sounds to me like there is a question of negligence here and it's hard to say that the kids letting the dog in through the window was egregious. I'm not sure what the other attorney is looking for and perhaps they were hoping that the insurance company would run scared once it saw the figure and pay it off.

You may need to get an attorney here and would. What is the basis for the suit causing $11M in damages? A good motion could help you significantly and there is no way in the world that damages will be awarded in that amount for something insignificant. Lawsuits are never something to take lightly but the amount is absurd and was likely designed to evoke this kind of a response... and apparently it may have backfired on them.

JamesV · Sep 27, 2004

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Another $11,000,000 dog bite Animal Injury, Dog Bite

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