A dog attacked a woman at an L.A. city animal shelter. She won a $5.4-million verdict

"Genice Horta, 51, said that neither the shelter nor the rescue group she worked for told her the dog, a Belgian Malinois named Maximus, had bitten a teenager and a shelter employee, sending both to the hospital. After six surgeries to repair the bones and nerves in her right arm, Horta was left with permanent damage, according to a brief by her attorneys in the lawsuit she filed in 2022."

"It was the third multi-million payout in recent years involving allegations that the city animal shelters failed to notify potential adopters that a dog had bitten and seriously injured someone, as required by state law."

"Horta's case "revealed a series of serious and preventable mistakes made with respect to warning about Maximus' bite history and adopting out and failing to control a dangerous dog," one of her attorneys, Ivan Puchalt, said in a statement."

Genice Horta, 51, received a $5.4 million jury award after being severely mauled by Maximus, a Belgian Malinois, at an East Valley Animal Shelter. The shelter and rescue group failed to inform Horta that Maximus had previously bitten a teenager and shelter employee, both requiring hospitalization. Horta underwent six surgeries to repair damage to her right arm and suffered permanent injuries. The jury found the city 62.5% liable, the rescue group 25% liable, and Horta 12.5% liable. This represents the third major payout in recent years involving allegations that LA city animal shelters violated state law by failing to disclose dangerous dogs' bite histories to potential adopters.

Read at Los Angeles Times