Maria Avila won a $12.9 million verdict against Chris Brown this summer, and now a judge says that number was too big.
On September 29, Judge Huey P. Cotton threw out the award as excessive based on the evidence from the trial, handing Avila a choice that could drag the whole case back into court.
She can accept a reduced $9.5 million, or she can roll the dice on a brand new trial. That is a $3.4 million haircut, and the next move now belongs to Brown’s former housekeeper.
The case goes back to 2020, when Avila was allegedly attacked by Brown’s 200 pound Caucasian Shepherd while taking out the trash at his California home.
According to the lawsuit, the attack left her with physical injuries and scars she will carry for the rest of her life.
Avila filed her negligence suit in April 2021, and her opening ask was far bigger than anything a jury eventually gave her. She initially sought $90 million in damages, which makes even the original $12.9 million verdict look modest by comparison.
Not every part of the verdict got cut. Judge Cotton upheld the $855,000 award for Patricia Avila, Maria’s sister, who was present during the attack. That money covers her past economic damages and emotional distress.
Brown’s side of the story played a big role in court. He reportedly said he had warned both sisters about how aggressive the dogs were and told them not to go outside without his security team.
That argument frames the whole fight. Avila’s suit centers on negligence, while Brown’s camp pointed to warnings he says were already given before anyone stepped outside.
Getting to a verdict at all was messy. The first trial ended in a mistrial after a juror looked up outside information about the case and shared it with the rest of the panel. Courts specifically tell jurors never to do that.
A second trial started soon after, and jurors returned their verdict just two weeks after the mistrial. Another round in front of a new jury would mean starting the process over yet again.
For Avila, taking the $9.5 million means locking in a large sum and closing a chapter that began with that 2020 attack. Turning it down means sitting through another trial, with no guarantee a new jury lands anywhere near the original number.
For Brown, the reduction is a partial win, though he is still looking at a multimillion dollar judgment if Avila takes the deal. The singer is no stranger to legal headlines, and this one is far from settled.
There is no word yet on which way Avila is leaning. Until she decides, the $9.5 million offer stays on the table and a fresh trial remains a real possibility.
