Chris Brown’s former housekeeper Maria Avila has accepted a reduced $9.5 million damages award over the 2020 dog attack at his Tarzana home, avoiding a new trial over how much the singer owes her after a jury originally awarded $12.9 million.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Huey P. Cotton gave Avila the choice on September 29, 2026, after finding the jury’s damages award excessive. Avila accepted the remittitur the following day, consenting to the lower amount rather than having damages decided again by another jury.
The reduced award includes about $3.85 million for past noneconomic losses, $5.4 million for future noneconomic losses, and $250,000 for future medical expenses. The jury’s separate $855,000 award to Avila’s sister, Patricia Avila, was not reduced.
The case stems from a 2020 attack involving Hades, a roughly 200-pound Caucasian shepherd kept at Brown’s home. Maria Avila alleged that the dog mauled her while she was working at the property, causing facial disfigurement, scarring, vision loss, nerve damage, and other lasting injuries.
A jury sided with Avila in June and awarded her $12.9 million. Brown later challenged the verdict and argued that the trial had been unfair, including because jurors heard references to his 2008 assault on Rihanna.
Cotton rejected Brown’s broader challenge to the trial, finding that he had received a fair proceeding and that the references did not establish juror bias. The judge agreed, however, that Maria Avila’s damages were too high.
In reducing the award, Cotton said Avila was entitled to compensation for emotional distress and what he described as “persistent pain,” but found insufficient evidence supporting the amount awarded for permanent nerve damage.
Avila’s acceptance leaves the $9.5 million award in place rather than sending the damages portion of the case back to a jury. Brown’s attorneys had previously taken steps to appeal the original verdict, and it remains to be seen whether they will continue challenging the judgment after the reduction.
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