{"id":368958,"date":"2023-02-21T17:02:32","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T22:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/litigation\/filing-a-lawsuit\/how-much-can-i-sue-for-a-dog-bite.html"},"modified":"2023-02-24T14:31:26","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T19:31:26","slug":"how-much-can-i-sue-for-a-dog-bite","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/litigation\/filing-a-lawsuit\/how-much-can-i-sue-for-a-dog-bite.html","title":{"rendered":"How Much Can I Sue for a Dog Bite?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 fl-sectionWithSidebar fl-container fl-flex fl-flex-wrap fl-gap30\">\n    \n    <div class=\"fl-page-articles fl-section-main fl-section-main-full-width\">\n        <h1 class=\"fl-no-margin-top\">How Much Can I Sue for a Dog Bite?<\/h1>\n<section class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline\">\n    <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-content\">\n                    By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/robert-rafii-esq\/\">Robert Rafii, Esq.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by <a\n                href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/steven-ellison-esq\/\">Steven Ellison, Esq.<\/a>\n                | Last updated\n        <time>\n                            February 24, 2023\n                    <\/time>\n    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-legally-reviewed\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Legally Reviewed\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\">FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/company-history\/editorial-policy.html\">our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n\n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-fast-checked\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Fact-Checked\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/contributing-authors.html\">contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/?fli=bylinelink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n<\/section>\n    <div class=\"fl-callout-text article-blockquote\">\n        <p>Most states follow&nbsp;strict liability&nbsp;laws for dog bites, meaning dog owners are automatically responsible if their dog bites someone in a public place or where the victim is lawfully present, regardless of the dog&#8217;s past behavior. But, some states&nbsp;still follow&nbsp;negligence-based rule&nbsp;systems, where the victim must prove the owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous.<\/p>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n<p>The type of law that applies significantly affects how easily a victim can recover damages after a dog attack.<\/p>\r\n<p>Most of the time, you&#8217;ll be able to sue to recover money for your dog bite injuries unless you&#8217;re dealing with a stray dog that doesn&#8217;t belong to an animal shelter or other government agency. The amount that you can sue for will depend on:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The extent of your injuries<\/li>\r\n<li>The strictness of dog bite laws in your state<\/li>\r\n<li>The circumstances that resulted in a dog owner&#8217;s failure to prevent harm to you.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/personal-injury-plaintiff\/?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">personal injury lawyer <\/a>can provide you with an estimated calculation of how much you can sue for. But keep in mind that the amount you actually end up recovering might be limited to the pet owner&#8217;s net worth or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/consumer\/insurance\/insurance-policies.html\">insurance policy<\/a> limit, whichever is greater.<\/p>\r\n<h2>State Laws Governing Dog Bite Lawsuits<\/h2>\r\n<p>Under common law (historical case law), a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/torts-and-personal-injuries\/what-is-the-one-bite-rule.html\">one-bite rule<\/a>&quot; required that a dog bite victim would first prove that the owner of the dog either knew or should have known that their dog had a likelihood of injuring others. In other words, the dog would get away with the first bite (\u201cone bite&quot;) or the first time that it displayed dangerous behavior, but its owner would have to be alert from then on to watch out for repeat offenses.<\/p>\r\n<p>Today, most states don&#8217;t follow purely the common law one-bite rule. As of this writing, 36 states have enacted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/legalblogs\/personal-injury\/what-is-strict-liability-how-does-it-affect-injury-lawsuits\/\">strict liability<\/a> dog bite statutes, which make owners responsible for their dogs&#8217; attacks regardless of their ability to do anything to prevent harm caused by their dogs.<\/p>\r\n<p>Just 14 states follow either a modified version of the one-bite rule or general <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/accident-injury-law\/negligence.html\">negligence<\/a> law:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Wyoming<\/li>\r\n<li>Virginia<\/li>\r\n<li>Vermont<\/li>\r\n<li>Texas<\/li>\r\n<li>South Dakota<\/li>\r\n<li>North Dakota<\/li>\r\n<li>New York<\/li>\r\n<li>New Mexico<\/li>\r\n<li>Nevada<\/li>\r\n<li>Mississippi<\/li>\r\n<li>Kansas<\/li>\r\n<li>Idaho<\/li>\r\n<li>Arkansas<\/li>\r\n<li>Alaska<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>In the other 36 states, negligence law still applies, which means that a victim may sue under strict liability, but may also use the one-bite rule to show that an owner is liable for negligence separate from being strictly liable for the accident.<\/p>\r\n<p>To summarize, the three different laws are:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>One-Bite Rule<\/li>\r\n<li>Negligence<\/li>\r\n<li>Strict Liability<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>As you will learn below, a violation of the one-bite rule in modern times is more or less a violation of negligence law. Therefore, for all intents and purposes, you can think of it this way:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>36 states allow you to sue under strict liability <i>and<\/i> negligence.<\/li>\r\n<li>14 states allow you to sue only under negligence, which may involve an aspect of the one-bite rule.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>It&#8217;s easy to see how interpreting your state&#8217;s rule system for dog bites can be overwhelming. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/torts-and-personal-injuries\/do-i-need-a-dog-bite-attorney.html\">dog bite attorney<\/a> in your area can review your situation and explain your legal options under state law.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Strict Liability Versus Negligence<\/h2>\r\n<p><b>Strict liability<\/b> laws vary. Your state&#8217;s laws may not exactly follow the rules below, but in general, when a dog owner is strictly liable, it means:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The dog owner is responsible even if they didn&#8217;t do anything wrong;<\/li>\r\n<li>Their dog attacked and injured someone;<\/li>\r\n<li>The injured person wasn&#8217;t doing something illegal like committing robbery or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/realestate\/land-use-laws\/trespassing.html\">trespassing<\/a> on the dog owner&#8217;s property at the time of the injury; and<\/li>\r\n<li>The injured person didn&#8217;t purposefully provoke the animal, such as by harassing or taunting it prior to the attack.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>But, there&#8217;s more\u2014if your strict liability dog bite claim goes to trial, you&#8217;ll need to show:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The person or entity you sued actually owns the dog (remember, a stray dog means you can&#8217;t pin dog bite liability on anyone unless you can show the stray dog escaped while still under the government&#8217;s or someone&#8217;s care);<\/li>\r\n<li>The dog bit you somewhere where you were <i>lawfully<\/i> present (such as a public place or a private place to which you were invited);<\/li>\r\n<li>You actually suffered harm; and<\/li>\r\n<li>The harm was substantially caused by the dog bite, and not something else.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Some states are a bit laxer on these requirements. For example, in certain places, even someone who was bitten while committing a crime \u2014 like robbery or trespassing \u2014 might be able to sue for their dog bite injuries if they can show that the dog owner was negligent in allowing the dog to harm them.<\/p>\r\n<p><b>Negligence law<\/b> is far more forgiving than strict liability statutes. In dog bite cases, proving negligence requires a showing that:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The dog owner had a duty of care to act reasonably in handling their dog and effectively preventing it from injuring people or property;<\/li>\r\n<li>The dog owner breached their duty, either by acting carelessly or by violating a law that requires all dogs be leashed;<\/li>\r\n<li>The dog owner&#8217;s carelessness or violation caused a victim to suffer dog bite injuries to their person or property;<\/li>\r\n<li>There is resulting damage to the defendant, such as in the form of personal medical bills or costs to replace broken property.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>In negligence law, the above elements are more generally known as <a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.findlaw.com\/definition\/duty.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">duty<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.findlaw.com\/definition\/breach.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">breach<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.findlaw.com\/definition\/causation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">causation<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/accident-injury-law\/injury-damages.html\">damages<\/a>. In most cases where a victim has been obeying the law and minding their own business, satisfying the elements will be easy to the extent that the victim can show the dog owner acted carelessly or unreasonably. An owner&#8217;s failure to act can itself be a form of negligent behavior, especially if an owner could have pulled back on their dog&#8217;s leash or made other attempts to restrain a potential attack.<\/p>\r\n<p>Negligence law is more forgiving of dog owners than strict liability because it requires that a plaintiff prove that the defendant was at fault in the way they handled their dog. Under negligence, it&#8217;s much easier to avoid fault if a defendant can show that the harm caused to the plaintiff was not foreseeable, especially if the dog&#8217;s breed is known to be friendly or mild-mannered.<\/p>\r\n<p>While in the strict liability context, the law doesn&#8217;t care whether or not a defendant acted reasonably to prevent harm to likely victims, negligence law gives an opportunity to the defendant to argue that they could have never reasonably anticipated that the harm would have occurred in the circumstances that led to the injury. This is where the one-bite rule becomes relevant again.<\/p>\r\n<p>For example, a defendant who has a well-behaved dog might argue that given their dog&#8217;s calm demeanor prior to an accident, it would have been <a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.findlaw.com\/definition\/foreseeability.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unforeseeable<\/a> for them to expect that it would try to bite anyone. At trial, the plaintiff might borrow the logic of the one-bite rule by showing evidence from animal control records that suggests the dog has a history of previous aggression.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Animal Control Reports<\/h2>\r\n<p>Sometimes, your local city or county&#8217;s animal control department may become involved in your dog bite case, especially if you suffered serious injuries. An animal control officer may investigate the accident and prepare a report. Depending on the facts of the case, the dog owner may face restrictions on the manner in which they handle their pet. For repeat offenders, dog owners may even be forced to legally forfeit their animals if they are unable to keep others safe from their aggression.<\/p>\r\n<p>In addition to witnesses and medical treatment reports prepared by doctors, an animal control report may be helpful in both strict liability and negligence cases because it could be used as evidence to show how a bite occurred, whether it caused injuries, and whether the dog owner or the victim acted reasonably in the circumstances.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Dog Bite Aggression Scale<\/h2>\r\n<p>How much you sue for will come down to the nature and degree to which you suffer severe injuries, alongside the extent to which your lacerations will require medical attention. For instance, the veterinarian <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apdt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/ian-dunbar-dog-bite-scale.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Ian Dunbar&#8217;s Dog Bite Scale<\/a>, as published by the Association of the Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), breaks down dog bite injuries into six levels:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li><b>Level 1 <\/b>&#8211; Aggressive behavior but no tooth contact<\/li>\r\n<li><b>Level 2 <\/b>&#8211; Skin contact but no skin puncture<\/li>\r\n<li><b>Level 3<\/b> &#8211; Several punctures no deeper than a half-tooth length<\/li>\r\n<li><b>Level 4 <\/b>&#8211; Several punctures with at least one deeper than a half-tooth length<\/li>\r\n<li><b>Level 5<\/b> &#8211; Multiple bites causing two or more level 4 punctures<\/li>\r\n<li><b>Level 6 <\/b>&#8211; Victim dead<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p>While most accidents might fall under the first two levels, you may have a good case no matter how bad your injuries may be. Some states will also recognize injuries, such as mental and emotional anguish, that go beyond physical harm alone. At Level 6, while the victim themselves might not live to sue, their representative may be able to bring a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/torts-and-personal-injuries\/wrongful-death-overview.html\">wrongful death<\/a> case against the dog owner.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Legal Remedies In-Depth: What Can I Recover?<\/h2>\r\n<p>How much you sue for and what you end up recovering (your remedies) can vary depending on what state you live in, but the law generally provides for multiple categories of damages.<\/p>\r\n<p>Let&#8217;s use a hypothetical scenario: You were on your morning run on the public sidewalk when your neighbor&#8217;s unleashed dog started chasing after you. Not knowing what to do, you kept your head down and stayed quiet, avoiding eye contact with the animal as you tried to get away. The frantic owner screamed at their dog to stop and come back, but it was too late: The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/torts-and-personal-injuries\/dog-bites-animal-attacks.html\">dog bit you<\/a> on your left ankle. You ended up getting stitches in the emergency room.<\/p>\r\n<p>Depending on your state, you may sue for strict liability or negligence, or both. Your general argument under strict liability will be that the dog owner is at fault because their dog harmed you, even though you tried to do everything right. Under a negligence theory, you could argue that the dog owner should have known better than to unleash their dog near a public sidewalk and that they failed to meet a duty of care to prevent foreseeable harm to a likely victim \u2014 a jogging passerby \u2014 such as yourself. <\/p>\r\n<p>Under both theories, the defendant will have a difficult time getting away from liability, even if they try to (weakly) argue that they made an effort to scream at their dog to get it to come back.<\/p>\r\n<p>Depending on your state, available <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/accident-injury-law\/injury-damages.html\">injury damages<\/a> include:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Lost earnings (past\/present\/future <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/car-accidents\/making-a-lost-wages-claim.html\">wages<\/a>) \u2014 You lost time from work.<\/li>\r\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/legalblogs\/personal-injury\/how-to-challenge-a-medical-bill\/\">Medical bills<\/a> for treatment of wounds \u2014 You had to pay a large hospital bill.<\/li>\r\n<li>Medical expenses for ongoing or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/elder\/elder-care-law\/what-is-ltc-.html\">long-term care<\/a> that may be needed \u2014 You will have to pay a live-in nurse while recovering from immobility.<\/li>\r\n<li>Pain and suffering \u2014 Your wounds hurt, your bones ache, and you are very miserable.<\/li>\r\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/torts-and-personal-injuries\/emotional-distress.html\">Emotional distress<\/a>, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) \u2014 The nightmares won&#8217;t stop.<\/li>\r\n<li>Temporary or permanent disfigurement or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/accident-injury-law\/disability.html\">disability<\/a> \u2014 You&#8217;ve lost skin that needs to grow back, or worse, you&#8217;ve lost toes or fingers that you will never get back.<\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/legalblogs\/personal-injury\/when-can-you-sue-for-punitive-damages\">Punitive damages<\/a> \u2014 The Defendant acted in such an outrageous way that the court should punish them and deter others from doing the same in the future.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2>Injured by a Dog Bite? Get Legal Advice Today<\/h2>\r\n<p>An animal or <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/animal-bites-plaintiff\/?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dog bite lawyer<\/a>, (a type of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/personal-injury-plaintiff\/?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">personal injury attorney<\/a>) can give you a better idea of how much you can recover. If you have injury claims or even property damage resulting from an animal, especially a dog, you may be eligible for a dog bite settlement. Many dog bite lawyers provide free consultations and may take your case on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/legalblogs\/personal-injury\/what-is-a-contingency-fee\/\">contingency<\/a>, meaning that you will not owe them any up-front fees until they have secured money from the dog owner or a settlement offer from their insurance company.<\/p>\r\n<p>There is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/statutes-of-limitations.html\">statute of limitations<\/a> to bring your dog bite lawsuit into court, which means you can&#8217;t wait beyond a certain period after the injury to file your case. This is so that evidence won&#8217;t get stale, witnesses won&#8217;t become unavailable, and memories don&#8217;t fade through the passage of time following an accident. The statute of limitations period varies depending on the state, and usually follows the same deadline for other kinds of personal injury cases, such as car accidents. This could be as short as one year to as long as a few years, so don&#8217;t delay.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"was-this-helpful\">\n    <div\n            class=\"was-this-helpful__question-container\"\n            aria-labelledby=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n            role=\"group\"\n    >\n        <span\n                id=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__question fl-text-lg-bold\"\n        >Was this helpful?<\/span>\n        <button\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__button fl-text-sm\"\n                aria-label=\"Yes\"\n                value=\"yes\"\n        >\n            <span class=\"was-this-helpful__button-text fl-text-bold\">Yes<\/span>\n            <i class=\"was-this-helpful__button-icon\">\n                <svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 22 22\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n                    <g id=\"thumbs-up\" clip-path=\"url(#clip0_604_3418)\">\n                        <path 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for=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--missing-info\"\n                        >Missing the information I need<\/label>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"fl-radio-button-field fl-flex was-this-helpful__feedback-form-title\">\n                        <input\n                                id=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--complicated\"\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-input\"\n                                type=\"radio\"\n                                name=\"negative-feedback\"\n                                value=\"Too complicated\"\n                        >\n                        <label\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-label fl-text-sm was-this-helpful__radio-label\"\n                                for=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--complicated\"\n                        >Too complicated \/ too many steps<\/label>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div 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<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FindLaw discusses suing for a dog bite. Learn about negligence, strict liability, how much you can expect to recover in damages, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41135,"featured_media":0,"parent":368853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"app\/Http\/Controllers\/Templates\/ArticleWithBreadcrumbsController.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":true,"_modified_date":"","_autodraft_ids":[],"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"_sb_is_suggestion_mode":false,"_sb_show_suggestion_boards":false,"_sb_show_comment_boards":false,"_sb_suggestion_history":"","_sb_update_block_changes":"","_is_real_time_mode":false,"_realtime_collaborators":"","footnotes":"","cf_checklist_status":[]},"categories":[2803],"tags":[],"state_laws_tags":[],"flmsa":[],"class_list":["post-368958","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-litigation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/368958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/368958\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/368853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368958"},{"taxonomy":"state_laws_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/state_laws_tags?post=368958"},{"taxonomy":"flmsa","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/flmsa?post=368958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}