Mother attacked by ex-husband’s dog receives $1,001,000

The usual pick-up of her children from her ex-husband turned into a frightening encounter for a divorced mother of three. The active housekeeper and child care provider, who shared custody with her ex-husband, arrived at his car dealership to pick up their two minor kids.

Glenda deGuzman, Attorney, with dog bite client (right)

As they prepared to go where the children were, our client saw her ex-husband’s new dog, a Belgian Malinois, and asked if she could come closer. He provided her with a treat for the dog, but when she approached, the dog attacked and mauled her right arm. Her ex-husband took her to the emergency room where emergency surgery was performed to help repair her arm.

The dog’s bite had exerted such force that it crushed the client’s right forearm, and penetrated so deeply that tissue, tendon and nerves were destroyed. The client underwent four surgeries to repair her arm. However, for our client, the pain, injuries, and scars, are permanent reminders of the incident.

The $1,000,000 insurance limit on the dog owner’s homeowner’s policy reflect not only the compensation for our client’s injuries, but an amount that could have been awarded by a jury as punitive damages against the dog owner.