Most Read Topics
- Dog bite statistics
- The breeds most likely to kill
- If Your Dog Bites Someone
- Dangerous and Vicious Dogs
- Insurance for the Dog Owner
- Why Dogs Bite People
What people write to Attorney Phillips...
"I recently purchased and viewed your DVD on the anatomy of a dog bite case. I greatly appreciated your insight and I'm sure it will pay dividends as I pursue my client's claims."
Michael M.
Recent Press Releases
- A Dog Attack Danger Scale To Keep You and Your Kids Safe
- Fatal Dog Attacks Are On the Rise in the USA
- A Message to Dog Rescues - “Save yourselves!”
The most comprehensive source of information about dog bite law in the USA, more than 800 pages updated daily by Attorney Kenneth M. Phillips, the nation's leading legal expert in the subject. Over 1 million people per year read dogbitelaw.com, numerous legal publications cite it as authority, and thousands of web sites link to it.
Meet your host
Kenneth M. Phillips is the only attorney in the USA who does nothing other than represent people who have been seriously injured by dogs. Widely recognized as the nation's leading authority on dog bite law, he has earned tens of millions of dollars for dog bite victims all over the USA. He has been a frequent guest on CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, MS-NBC, and Fox News, and has been called "the dog bite king" (Today Show and Lawyers Weekly), "a leading expert in dog bite law" (Good Housekeeping), and "the nation's best known practitioner of terrier torts" (Los Angeles Times).
Send him E-mail. He welcomes questions and comments from all visitors to this website. He responds personally and answers general questions for free. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to write to him and receive his personal reply within hours (his E-mail address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). Read more about him at Meet Kenneth M. Phillips.
Overview of Dog Bite Law
Most American states make dog owners liable for all dog bites when a person is bitten, based simply on owning the dog that did the biting. A minority requires the victim to prove that the dog was vicious or that the dog owner or another party caused the incident through negligence or by violating an animal control law (like a leash law). Fortunately the victim's legal damages are covered by most homeowners and renters insurance policies purchased by dog owners, and by general liability policies that insure businesses and public entities.
Only 16,000 dog bite victims receive such insurance payments per year, however, even though about 5 million Americans are bitten. For that reason, the services of Attorney Kenneth M. Phillips and other lawyers who represent victims are rendered without charge unless and until money is recovered. For more information about getting a lawyer, read Does an Adult Need a Lawyer for a Dog Bite Claim? or Should Parents Get a Lawyer for Their Injured Child?
To learn more if you are a dog bite victim, read Plain English Overview of Dog Bite Law. Dog owners, attorneys, canine professionals and others should click "Topics" at the top of this page. To quickly find the law of your state, enter its name in the Google search box at the top of this page or any other page on this site. When using the Google search box, however, be sure to skip the paid links which are highlighted in yellow, because those links are unrelated to this website.
Dog Bites and Legal Rights
News
On May 4, 2013, Rachael Honabarger, 35, a resident of Coshocton, Ohio, died after being attacked several days earlier by her husband's German shepherd.
The Dog Bite Law Store
What To Do If Your Dog Is Injured Or Killed by Attorney Kenneth M. Phillips is a legal self-help book that tells a dog owner how to get reimbursed for vet bills, and compensated for your anguish when your dog is wrongfully injured or killed. Download immediately and use today.
Pleadings, interrogatories, admissions, document production, a 50-topic deposition outline, and much more. Save hours of work with Mr. Phillips' Dog Bite Litigation Forms. Only for plaintiffs' lawyers. Good in all states. Cheaper than the cost of typing them. Download immediately and use today.
Tips and tricks that cannot be found anywhere else. Anatomy of a Dog Bite Case is a video of Mr. Phillips' 2-1/2 hour seminar for plaintiffs' lawyers. Learn strategies and tactics, the new causes of action, how to overcome all of the common defenses, how to settle your case, and more. Inexpensive. Good in all states.
Avoiding Liability When You Train, Shelter or Adopt Out is an all-in-one self-help package for trainers, rescue groups, and shelters. Includes ready-to-use contracts, waivers and other legal documents by Mr. Phillips, and his 1-1/2 hour video seminar explaining everything in simple language. The Q&A sessions on this DVD are fun and illuminating. It will pay for itself by preventing trouble before it begins!
An Hour With Attorney Kenneth M. Phillips. Discuss strategy, tactics, tips, tricks, expert witnesses, causes of action, traps for the unwary, discovery plans, summary judgment motions by the plaintiff, trial themes, jury arguments and more in a one-hour phone call with Attorney Kenneth M. Phillips, and it will pay for itself.
Lease Addendum: Pets helps to protect landlords and tenants from the consequences of a vicious dog on the premises, by keeping out the bad dogs, and avoiding the circumstances and misunderstandings that contribute to dog attacks. Fair, legal and not breed-specific. Download immediately and use today.