Dog Bite Injury Lawyer Los Angeles

Dog Bite Attorney Los Angeles

People looking for a Los Angeles dog bite attorney usually reach us in the worst week of their year: a child with stitches across a cheek, a hand that no longer closes properly, a parent knocked to the sidewalk by a large dog that got through a gate. California law is more favorable to bite victims than the law in states that still follow the one-bite rule, but your claim still has rules, defenses, and deadlines, and one of those deadlines is only six months.

At Ravan Law, we represent people hurt by dogs across LA County. On this page we explain how a dog bite claim works, who can be held responsible, what the owner’s insurer will argue, and which clock applies to your case.

Call (424) 465-2500 for a free consultation. You work with us directly, and we answer your questions. Information is available in Spanish.

Los Angeles Dog Bite Attorney: How We Handle Bite Claims

The first thing to ask any Los Angeles dog bite attorney is simple: what happens to my case after I call? Here is our answer. We review the facts with you and tell you honestly whether there is a claim worth pursuing. Then we stay with you from the first call through settlement or trial, and we keep you updated at every stage.

We work on contingency: no fee unless we win. In his first year of practice, attorney Ted H. Ravan obtained more than $1 million for his clients, and our firm has resolved dog bite, premises, and motor vehicle claims across LA County. These are settlements and verdicts we have obtained.

Every result depended on the facts of that case, and results will differ based on different facts. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the outcome of your matter.

Every dog bite claim is different, and the amount any case resolves for depends on the injury, the evidence, and the insurance available.

Ted H. Ravan, a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, studied political science at UC San Diego and earned his law degree at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he gave more than 100 volunteer hours to the campus free legal clinic. Read more about attorney Ted H. Ravan.

California Dog Bite Lawyer Guide to Civil Code 3342 Strict Liability

California follows strict liability for dog bites. Under Civil Code 3342, the owner of a dog is liable for damages suffered by a person the dog bites while that person is in a public place or lawfully in a private place, including the owner’s own property. It does not matter whether the dog had ever bitten anyone before or whether the owner knew it could be dangerous.

That ends the idea of “one free bite.” Many states still let an owner escape liability for a first bite unless the owner already knew the dog was dangerous. California rejected that rule. Here, the first bite counts.

What You Have to Prove

A strict liability claim under Civil Code 3342 rests on three facts:

1. The person you are suing owned the dog.
2. The dog bit you.
3. You were in a public place, or lawfully on private property, when it happened.

You do not have to prove the owner was careless or uncover the dog’s history. That lets us move most dog bite cases quickly to the questions that decide value: how serious your injury is, what it will cost over time, and which policy pays.

California Strict Liability vs. the One-Bite Rule

Who Counts as “Lawfully” on Private Property

The statute treats a person as lawfully on private property when that person is there to perform a duty imposed by state or federal law, or by invitation, express or implied, of the owner. That covers invited guests and the workers who come to the door for a living: mail carriers, delivery drivers, meter readers, and contractors. If you were bitten on the job, you usually have a workers’ compensation claim and a separate dog bite claim against the owner, which is often the larger of the two because it includes pain, scarring, and emotional harm. For app-based drivers, see our guide to gig economy delivery accidents and liability.

For a fuller explanation of ownership and responsibility, read who is liable for injuries caused by dog bites.

When Strict Liability Does Not Apply

Strict liability is strong, but it is not absolute. We screen for four limits at the first meeting.

Trespassers. Civil Code 3342 protects people in public places or lawfully on private property. A person unlawfully on the property cannot use the statute, though other claims may exist in narrow situations.

Police and military dogs performing their duties. Under Civil Code 3342(b), a government agency is not strictly liable when a police or military dog bites while defending itself from an annoying, harassing, or provoking act, or while assisting an officer in apprehending or holding a suspect, investigating a crime, executing a warrant, or defending an officer or another person. Two conditions narrow that exception. It applies only if the agency has adopted a written policy on the necessary and appropriate use of its dogs (3342(d)). And it does not apply when the person bitten was not a party to, a participant in, or suspected of the conduct that prompted the use of the dog (3342(c)). If you were a bystander bitten by a K-9 during someone else’s arrest, you may still have a claim.

The veterinarian’s rule. A dog owner who hands the dog to a veterinarian for treatment is generally not liable when the dog bites the veterinarian or a veterinary assistant during that treatment. The California Supreme Court extended the rule to a kennel worker caring for a boarded dog in Priebe v. Nelson (2006). The court preserved a claim where the owner knew the dog had bitten before and did not tell the kennel.

Provocation and shared fault. The insurer may argue that you teased, struck, or startled the dog. California follows pure comparative fault, so a finding that you shared some responsibility reduces your recovery by your percentage of fault rather than erasing it. Read more on how fault is decided in injury cases.

Los Angeles Dog Attack Lawyer for Knockdowns, Crashes, and Other Non-Bite Injuries

Civil Code 3342 covers bites. A large dog that jumps on an older pedestrian, a dog that chases a cyclist into a fall, or a loose dog that runs into traffic and causes a crash can cause injuries just as serious as a dog bite. We pursue these dog attack claims under different law, on one of two theories.

Negligence. The owner failed to use reasonable care to control the dog. In the City of Los Angeles, Municipal Code section 53.06.2 requires a dog off its owner’s premises to be under the control of a competent person and restrained by a substantial leash no longer than six feet, except in approved off-leash areas. A dog loose on a Silver Lake sidewalk or on a trail in Griffith Park is strong evidence the owner fell below that standard.

Known dangerous propensity. Under long-standing common law, an owner who knew or had reason to know of a dog’s dangerous tendencies is responsible for the harm those tendencies cause, bite or no bite. We prove that knowledge with prior complaints, earlier incidents, and animal control records.

Knockdown injuries often look like the worst fall cases: hip and wrist fractures, spinal injuries, and head injuries. We build the same medical proof in our slip and fall practice. Read more about catastrophic injury claims.

Who Pays: The Owner, the Insurer, and Sometimes the Landlord

Most dog bite claims are paid by an insurance policy, not out of the owner’s pocket. Finding every source of recovery often decides whether your claim covers future care, so we look for all of them.

The Dog’s Owner and the Owner’s Insurance

The owner is the primary defendant, and a homeowner’s or renter’s policy usually covers the claim. Some insurers exclude certain breeds or dog bites entirely, so our early work includes getting the policy itself, not the adjuster’s description of it. Where the dog was in a dog walker’s or friend’s care, that person’s coverage may also apply.

When a Landlord Can Be Responsible

A landlord is not strictly liable the way an owner is. But as your Los Angeles dog bite lawyer, we look at the landlord whenever the owner is a renter with little coverage, which is common in apartment buildings in Koreatown, Hollywood, Westlake, and the San Fernando Valley.

Under Uccello v. Laudenslayer (1975), a residential landlord can be liable when the landlord had actual knowledge that a tenant’s dog was dangerous and had the ability to prevent the harm, for example by requiring the tenant to remove the dog under the lease. Donchin v. Guerrero (1995) held that actual knowledge can be proved with circumstantial evidence, in a case where the dogs escaped the rental property and attacked a person on the street. Under Portillo v. Aiassa (1994), a commercial landlord who knew or should have known of a dangerous dog on the premises can be responsible. The same notice principles run through premises liability cases.

Dog Bite Attorney in Los Angeles for Police K-9, Shelter, and Public Property Claims

Some of the most serious dog bite cases involve a public entity, and those cases follow a separate legal track under California’s Government Claims Act, the law governing claims against public agencies. Before any lawsuit can be filed, a formal written claim must be presented to the agency within six months of the injury under Government Code 911.2. Missing that deadline can permanently bar your claim, no matter how clear the liability or how severe the injury. Claims against public agencies are a core focus of our firm.

Situations where a public entity may be the defendant in a bite case:

• A police K-9 bite. LAPD and the LA County Sheriff’s Department both use police dogs. A bystander, or anyone bitten outside the narrow police dog exception in Civil Code 3342(b) and (c), may have a claim against the agency, and it starts with a six-month government claim.
• A dog in public custody. A bite from a dog held at a city or county shelter may point to the agency itself.
• Public housing. Where the landlord is a public housing authority, a landlord claim runs against a public entity.
• A dangerous condition of public property. A broken gate or failed fencing at a city-run off-leash area that the city knew about may support a claim under Government Code 835.

One limit: under Government Code 818.2, a public entity is generally not liable for failing to enforce a law, so an animal control agency’s failure to impound a reported dog is usually not, by itself, a claim against the agency. The owner remains responsible.

If the bite involves a city, county, school district, or other agency, the government claim deadline comes first. Any Los Angeles dog bite attorney handling a claim like this should calendar the six-month date at the first meeting, and we do. See our guides to injuries caused by a government entity, filing a claim against the City of Los Angeles, and claims against LA Metro. Read more on our Los Angeles government claims lawyer page.

Serious Dog Bite Injuries and the Lifetime Cost of Care

Many bites heal in weeks. Others leave injuries that are permanent, disfiguring, and expensive for decades. We build your claim around the second kind when that is what you are facing.

Facial Injuries and Scarring

Facial bites are common in children, whose faces are at the height of a dog’s mouth. They can damage nerves and injure the eyes, ears, and lips. Reconstructive surgery is often staged over years, and scar revision may be needed as a child grows, so a valuation built on the first surgery bill misses most of the cost.

Hand, Arm, and Nerve Damage

Defensive wounds to the hands and forearms can sever tendons and nerves. For a mechanic, a nurse, or a musician, lost grip strength or sensation can mean a permanent loss of earning capacity.

Fractures, Head Injuries, and Knockdowns

Large dogs can fracture the hand, wrist, and face. An older adult knocked to the ground can suffer a hip fracture, a spinal injury, or a traumatic brain injury that requires surgery, months of rehabilitation, and in-home care.

Infection and Rabies Treatment

Infection can set in hours or days after a bite. Warning signs include spreading redness, swelling, warmth, pus, fever, and increasing pain. Severe infections can require hospitalization or surgical cleaning of the wound. Where the dog’s vaccination status is unknown, a doctor may begin post-exposure rabies treatment, a series of shots that is a recoverable medical cost.

Psychological Injury

Post-traumatic stress, nightmares, and a lasting fear of dogs are common after an attack. Counseling costs and the emotional harm itself are part of your claim.

Catastrophic Cases

Cases involving traumatic brain injury, permanent nerve loss, multiple reconstructive surgeries, or long-term disability carry consequences that extend far beyond what a standard insurance settlement addresses. They require medical projections, life-care planning, analysis of lost earning capacity, and a valuation built around the full lifetime cost of the injury. Where a dog attack takes a life, surviving family members may bring a wrongful death claim, generally within two years under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1. If a public entity is involved, the six-month government claim deadline still applies.

When the Victim Is a Child

Children are among the most frequent victims, and their injuries are more often to the face and neck. As a parent, you can bring the claim on your child’s behalf right away, and any settlement for a minor generally requires court approval.

For an ordinary claim against a private owner, the two-year deadline is generally tolled until the child turns 18 under Code of Civil Procedure 352. That toll does not pause the six-month government claim deadline. CCP 352(b) excludes claims against public entities that require a government claim. If the bite involves a police dog, a shelter, public housing, or public property, the six-month clock under Government Code 911.2 runs from the day of the bite, even for a young child.

If your child was bitten, read our guide to dog bite injuries to children and serious injury claims.

What Compensation a Dog Bite Claim Can Recover

Compensation in a dog bite claim falls into two categories of compensatory damages. We account for both.

Economic damages cover measurable financial loss: emergency treatment, surgery and reconstructive surgery, scar revision, wound care, rabies treatment, physical and occupational therapy, counseling, future medical care, lost wages, and lost earning capacity.

Non-economic damages cover harm with no invoice: pain, emotional distress, post-traumatic stress, permanent scarring and disfigurement, and the loss of the activities that made up normal life.

Punitive damages are separate from both. They are not compensation, and they require clear and convincing evidence of malice, oppression, or fraud under Civil Code 3294. They may be considered where an owner deliberately set a dog on someone or consciously disregarded a known, serious danger.

What Moves the Number

• The severity and permanence of the injury, especially visible scarring
• The total cost of future care, including staged surgeries
• Whether the bite aggravated a pre-existing condition, which the owner is responsible for to the extent of the aggravation
• Lost earning capacity, particularly after hand and nerve injuries
• The insurance available, including any breed exclusion
• Any share of fault assigned to the victim under pure comparative fault

The full value of a serious bite case is often underestimated in the first weeks, which is one reason to avoid accepting a settlement offer before your treatment has run its course. Our article on valuing a claim after a severe injury explains the process, and how emotional injury affects a claim covers the non-economic side.

California Deadlines for a Dog Bite Claim

Two different deadlines can apply to the same bite. The first is the one most people know about. The second is the one that ends cases, and it is the one we check first.

The two-year statute does not rescue a missed government claim. For more on timing, read when you can file a personal injury case after a dog bite and how long a serious injury case takes.

Reporting a Dog Bite and Dangerous Dog Designations in LA County

Where to Report

State regulations require that animal bites to people be reported to the local health officer, and doctors who treat bites report them as well. A dog that bites a person is generally quarantined for about ten days for rabies observation, even if it is vaccinated. In LA County, your report goes to the agency that covers the place where the bite happened:

• City of Los Angeles: LA Animal Services
• Unincorporated areas and contract cities: the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control
• Cities with their own provider: some cities, such as Long Beach and Pasadena, use their own provider (in Pasadena, the nonprofit Pasadena Humane)

The report creates an official record and can reveal earlier incidents.

Dangerous Dog Law

Civil Code 3342.5 requires the owner of a dog that has bitten a person to take reasonable steps to remove the danger. When a dog has bitten people on at least two separate occasions, a court action can be brought to decide whether the dog must be restrained, removed, or destroyed.

The Food and Agricultural Code adds two designations. A “potentially dangerous dog” (section 31602) includes a dog that, unprovoked, bites a person causing a less severe injury, or that twice within 36 months forces a person to take defensive action off the owner’s property. A “vicious dog” (section 31603) includes a dog that, unprovoked and in an aggressive manner, inflicts severe injury on or kills a person. A prior designation is strong evidence that the owner knew of the danger, and it can matter for a landlord claim and for punitive damages.

What to Do After a Bite: A Los Angeles Dog Bite Lawyer’s Checklist

1. Get medical care the same day. Wash the wound and get examined, even for a small bite. Infection and rabies risk are real, and the record matters.
2. Identify the dog and the owner. Name, address, phone number, and proof of rabies vaccination. If the owner is a tenant, note the building and the property manager.
3. Get witness names. Neighbors, other dog walkers, and delivery drivers often see what happened.
4. Report the bite to the animal control agency listed above.
5. Photograph everything. The wound on day one and as it heals, torn clothing, the gate or fence, and the location.
6. Be careful with the insurer. You are not required to give a recorded statement to the owner’s insurance company, and it is reasonable to decline until you have spoken with a lawyer. Those statements are taken early because they are used later.
7. Note the date. If any public agency is involved, the six-month government claim deadline started on the day of the bite.

Our list of seven documents to bring to a first meeting applies to dog bite cases as well. For a longer walk-through, read what victims should know about filing a dog bite claim in Los Angeles.

Where Dog Bites Happen Across LA County

Location decides which law applies, which policy pays, and whether an agency is involved. Dog bites in Los Angeles tend to happen in the same kinds of places.

• City parks and trails. Griffith Park, Runyon Canyon outside its designated off-leash area, Echo Park, and neighborhood pocket parks, where an off-leash dog violates the leash ordinance. Read our article on a dog bite in a public park in Los Angeles.
• Off-leash dog parks. Strict liability still applies inside a designated off-leash area, though the owner may raise provocation.
• Residential sidewalks and front yards. A dog that slips its leash or gets through a gate in Studio City, Highland Park, or Mar Vista.
• Apartment buildings. Shared hallways and courtyards, where the landlord question comes up.
• Transit areas and busy sidewalks. Metro stops, rail stations, and crowded blocks in Downtown LA and Venice, where loose dogs and crowds meet.
• Work calls. Porches where mail carriers and delivery drivers are bitten on the job.

How We Build a Dog Bite Claim

1. Free consultation. We listen to what happened and tell you whether there is a claim worth pursuing, including when the answer is no.
2. Investigation. We identify the owner and every keeper of the dog, and we gather the animal control file, prior bite reports, and witnesses.
3. Coverage. We look for every homeowner’s, renter’s, landlord’s, and business policy, and any exclusion.
4. Government claim, where needed. If an agency is involved, we prepare the Government Code 911.2 claim and present it inside the six-month window.
5. Medical documentation. We document treatment, scarring, and psychological injury, and we project future surgeries with treating physicians and life-care planners.
6. Negotiation and litigation. We present a demand with the evidence behind it. Most claims resolve by settlement. If an offer does not reflect the harm, we file the case and prepare it for trial.

Speak With a Los Angeles Dog Bite Attorney Today

If you or your child has been seriously hurt by a dog in LA County, the decisions made in the first days shape everything that follows. The two-year deadline is real, and when a police K-9, a shelter, public housing, or public property is involved, the six-month clock under Government Code 911.2 starts on the day of the bite and does not wait for stitches to heal or a child to turn 18.

Call Ravan Law at (424) 465-2500 for a free consultation. No upfront cost, and no fee unless we win. Return to the Ravan Law homepage or read about our personal injury practice.

6310 San Vicente Blvd., Suite 401, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Attorney Advertising. Ted H. Ravan, Esq., Ravan Law, Los Angeles, CA. This content is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its specific facts.

Every result depended on the facts of that case, and results will differ based on different facts. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the outcome of your matter.