Updates to our Terms of Use

We are updating our Terms of Use. Please carefully review the updated Terms before proceeding to our website.

Friday, April 26, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Two Dog Owners Aren’t Liable For Woman’s Fall

NEW YORK (CN) - Two dog owners are not liable for a woman's fall at a park, the New York Appellate Division ruled.

Susan Debellas sued a pair of dog owners, alleging that their dogs were running with each other when they knocked her to the ground. The Supreme Court of Suffolk County dismissed her case, and she appealed.

The appellate division found that liability only applies to owners of animals with "vicious propensities."

Debellas' case crumbled when the dog owners demonstrated that their dogs had never collided with other people, thus showing their lack of "vicious propensities."

Categories / Uncategorized

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Loading...