Chris Brown’s former housekeeper has only days to decide whether to accept millions less than a jury awarded her or return to court for another trial over the damages caused by a 2020 dog attack at the singer’s Los Angeles home.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Huey P. Cotton ruled September 29 that Maria Avila’s $12.9 million award was excessive and conditionally ordered a new damages trial unless she agrees to reduce it to $9.5 million, Billboard reported.
Avila was awarded $12.9 million in June after a second jury heard evidence about the December 12, 2020 attack by Hades, a large Caucasian shepherd kept at Brown’s Tarzana property. She testified that the dog attacked her face and arm and dragged her, while Brown disputed the extent of her damages and said he had warned the housekeepers not to go outside alone around the dogs.
Avila is already trying to collect on the judgment through qualifying payments owed to Brown from touring, royalties and other entertainment work. According to Complex, which reviewed the latest court filing, Avila has until October 2 to accept the $9.5 million amount or proceed toward a new trial limited to damages.
Judge Found the $12.9 Million Award Excessive
Cotton’s ruling amounts to what courts call a remittitur, instead of immediately discarding the jury’s damages award, the judge gives the prevailing plaintiff the option of accepting a lower amount. If Avila rejects the $9.5 million figure, another jury can determine how much compensation she should receive without starting the entire case over.
The judge concluded that the record supported damages for Avila’s scarring, emotional distress, persistent pain and future humiliation, but not the full amount the jury attributed to other claimed future injuries. Rolling Stone reported that Cotton specifically found insufficient evidence of extensive permanent nerve damage supporting part of the $12.9 million total.
Brown had asked for considerably more than a reduction in damages. His attorneys sought a broader new trial and argued, among other things, that the proceedings had been unfair because jurors learned he had a prior felony conviction. Cotton rejected those arguments, leaving the rest of the trial result in place while granting relief only on Maria Avila’s damages.
The Jury Award Followed the 2020 Attack at Brown’s Home
Chris Brown has reportedly been found liable by a jury to pay $13 million to a housekeeper after his dog attacked her.
On Tuesday (June 30), Billboard broke the news that Breezy has been ordered to pay the victim, Maria Avila, $12.9 million for negligence. In addition, Brown… pic.twitter.com/FjOPDN03O0
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) July 1, 2026
The lawsuit grew out of the December 2020 incident at Brown’s Tarzana residence, where Avila was working as a housekeeper. During the June trial, she testified that Hades attacked her after she went outside, biting her face and arm and dragging her during an encounter she said made her believe she was going to die.
Avila said the injuries required surgery and left her with extensive scarring and lasting physical problems. PEOPLE reported after the verdict that the jury awarded her $12.9 million, while her sister Patricia Avila and husband Oscar Olivo received separate awards on their own claims.
Brown testified that Hades was associated with his head of security and lived at the property as a guard dog. He said he had warned the housekeepers that the dogs were not friendly and should not be approached without an escort, an account the Avila sisters disputed, while also challenging the extent of Maria’s claimed long-term injuries.
Brown’s Broader Attempt to Undo the Trial Failed
The damages reduction represents only part of what Brown and Black Pyramid sought after the June verdict. Their post-trial challenge raised multiple objections to the proceedings, including the size of the award and the information jurors were allowed to hear.
Complex reported that Cotton denied Brown’s remaining new-trial arguments, including his contention that the reference to his prior felony conviction unfairly tainted the jury. The judge also rejected challenges involving excluded testimony and the instructions jurors received when considering damages.
Avila Has Already Targeted Brown’s Tour and Royalty Payments
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The fight over money began before Cotton resolved Brown’s post-trial challenge. In August, the judge granted Avila an assignment of qualifying present and future payment rights owed to Brown, allowing certain tour, royalty and entertainment payments to be redirected toward satisfying the judgment.
TMZ reported that the order covered qualifying income connected to Brown’s tour with Usher as well as royalty payments. Avila had pursued the collection order after arguing in court filings that Brown had made no effort to satisfy the judgment.
The Case Has Already Survived One Mistrial
The possibility of another damages trial would add another chapter to litigation that has already required two juries. The first trial began in June but ended almost immediately after Cotton learned that a juror had conducted outside internet research and shared information with other members of the panel.
TMZ reported that Cotton dismissed the panel because of the juror misconduct, while contemporaneous Rolling Stone coverage said the judge immediately directed the attorneys to begin selecting another jury from a pool already at the courthouse.
The replacement jury heard testimony from both Brown and Avila before returning its verdict on June 30. Judgment was subsequently entered in July.