Hollywood Dog Bite Lawyer

Civil Code § 3342 is a strict liability rule: you do not have to prove the owner was careless or that the dog had a history. What matters is that the bite happened in a public place or somewhere you were lawfully present. The statute does not protect a trespasser, and it applies to bites — a dog that knocks someone down is handled under ordinary negligence instead.

Runyon Canyon is a recurring source of claims because the park has designated off-leash areas and heavy crowding on narrow trails. Off-leash status does not eliminate an owner's liability for a bite; it can, however, become an argument about comparative fault, which is why the details of where you were standing matter.

Get the wound cleaned and documented the same day. Bite wounds carry a high infection risk and the first medical record establishes both the injury and its cause.

Report it. A report to Los Angeles Animal Services starts the rabies observation period and creates an official record identifying the dog and its owner — the single most important fact in the claim, and the one hardest to reconstruct later.

Photograph the wound before and after it is dressed, and again as it heals. Scarring on the face, hands or legs is a distinct element of the claim, and healed scars photograph very differently from fresh ones.