Beverly Hills Dog Bite Lawyer

Civil Code § 3342 handles the bite itself and requires no proof of fault. Separately, letting a dog off-leash in a public area in violation of the municipal code supports a negligence claim that reaches injuries a bite statute does not — a knockdown, a fall, a dog lunging into a cyclist on Santa Monica Boulevard.

The two claims are pleaded together because they cover different harms and different defendants. Where the dog was in the care of a walker, sitter, groomer, or daycare at the time, that business carries commercial liability coverage of its own.

Beverly Hills has an unusually high density of professional dog walkers, in-home staff, and boarding services. When a bite happens while the dog is in a handler's control, responsibility can run to the owner under § 3342 and to the handler's business under ordinary negligence at the same time.

Workers bitten on the job — a delivery driver, a housekeeper, a gardener — may have both a workers' compensation claim and a third-party claim against the dog's owner. Those are separate systems with separate deadlines, and pursuing one does not replace the other.

Facial and hand bites are the ones that most often leave permanent marks. Photograph the wound the day it happens and then at regular intervals, keep every treatment record including urgent care and wound checks, and follow through on any plastic surgery consultation your physician recommends.

Children are bitten at face height more often than adults, which is why pediatric bite claims are documented differently and why a minor's settlement generally requires court approval before it can be paid.