There are a number of grounds on which a dog bite victim can recover compensation. Attorney Kenneth M. Phillips has won dog bite cases based on the conduct of an employee, workers compensation principles (used to obtain full compensation), and subsequent misconduct such as letting the vicious dog outside to "do his business" whenever a child, previously bitten by that dog, was walking to or from school.
There also are many different types of defendants who can be held liable for dog bites other than dog owners. In some cases, for example, a land owner or landlord can be held responsible for injuries inflicted by dogs owned by tenants. See Landlord Liability for Dog Bites. Attorney Phillips has won cases where the principal defendant was a business, a movie studio, a property owner, an animal control department, a police department, and a school district. Attorneys Kenneth M. Phillips and Neale deGravelles obtained a 7-figure settlement of a case against a trust that owned homes which included a residence where there were vicious pit bulls.
For other examples, return to the home page of Dog Bite Law and review the topics listed under For Dog Bite Victims. In appropriate cases, a third party can be held liable for injuries inflicted using a dog, under legal causes of action such as assault, battery, and infliction of emotional distress.
Attorneys should read the comprehensive description of possible causes of action given in Remedies in Dog Bite Cases, which is included in Dog Bite Litigation Forms for Plaintiffs' Lawyers. A somewhat abbreviated version of it was published in Trial magazine as "Put Some Teeth In Your Dog Bite Claim," February 2006, pp. 62-67.
