Chris Brown Fails to Appear for Court in ‘Brutal’ Dog Mauling Lawsuit — Victim Alleges Singer is ‘Ignoring’ $71M Claim

Chris Brown failed to appear for a court date related to his ex-housekeeper’s multi-million-dollar lawsuit over a “brutal” dog attack, leading her to accuse him of “ignoring” the case.

Sydtomarket.net exclusively obtained court records indicating that neither Brown nor his legal team showed up for the hearing requested by the victim, Maria Avila. Avila’s lawyers confirmed that there was no appearance by Brown or his defense.

Avila had sought the hearing because she claimed Brown was avoiding her legal team’s attempts to schedule a deposition for questioning him under oath in preparation for the upcoming trial.

Frustrated by ongoing delays, Avila requested the court to compel Brown and other witnesses to be available for depositions. An “informal discovery conference” was scheduled for Tuesday morning to address these issues and expedite the case.

However, a filing from the September 3 hearing noted: “Due to the absence of defense counsel, the informal discovery conference was not held. The Court recommends that the parties file their respective motions to compel due to the impending trial date.”

The case is set for a civil trial beginning January 27, 2025.

Avila’s $70 million lawsuit alleges that Brown’s over 200-pound Caucasian Shepherd, Hades, “brutally mauled, bit, and attacked” her while she was working at his Los Angeles home in December 2020. Hades reportedly had a microchip identifying Brown’s company, Black Pyramid, as the owner.

In an August 26 filing, Avila’s attorneys claimed that despite repeated requests, “Chris Brown and Black Pyramid LLC are refusing to answer basic discovery” and that their “requests to confirm the depositions are being ignored by the defense counsel.”

The document continued: “[Avila’s counsel] has made numerous efforts over the past year to schedule a deposition for Defendant Chris Brown, as well as other Black Pyramid employees, without receiving any response from counsel.”

Four days later, attorney Kenneth Ruttenberg, who was in the process of being replaced by Michael Schonbuch as Brown’s legal representative, responded by saying he had repeatedly informed Avila’s counsel about the change. Ruttenberg criticized Avila’s request, stating it was made with minimal notice and without consulting whether Brown’s new counsel was available.

Due to a conflicting hearing on the same day, Brown’s lawyer requested a postponement to allow the new defense team time to become familiar with the case.

Avila’s lawsuit accuses Brown of injury liability, negligence, emotional distress, and violation of a California dog bite statute, among other claims.

Brown has denied the allegations, asserting that Avila provoked the dog. According to Avila’s complaint, she was attacked by Hades while taking out the trash, resulting in severe injuries. Avila’s lawsuit also alleges that Hades had previously attacked others on multiple occasions.

Brown has denied the accusations and claimed that Avila provoked the attack. We reached out to his lawyer for comment on the latest developments. Court records show that Brown had Hades euthanized, which Avila believes was done out of “fear of criminal prosecution or other liability.” Her lawsuit also states that she continues to receive medical care and will suffer from permanent, debilitating injuries.