California does not give dogs one free bite. Under Civil Code section 3342, the owner is liable the moment their dog bites you in a public place or anywhere you are lawfully present, whether or not the dog ever bit anyone before. The Vertanous Firm has recovered more than $60 Million for injured Californians, including a $22.6 Million jury verdict, and we bring the same approach to every dog bite case: build it for trial, and make the insurance company price it that way.
The Law
Most injury cases require proof that someone was careless. Dog bite cases do not. Civil Code section 3342 is a strict liability statute, and it asks four questions:
Answer those four questions and liability attaches. You do not prove the owner was negligent. You do not prove the dog was vicious. You do not prove anyone saw it coming. That is the entire point of strict liability: the owner keeps the dog, so the owner bears the risk.
One boundary worth knowing: the statute covers bites. If a dog knocked you down, chased you into traffic, or caused you to fall without biting, you may still have a strong case, but it proceeds on ordinary negligence principles rather than the strict liability statute. We handle both.
What We Do Not Have to Prove
Some states protect a dog's first bite: no liability unless the owner already knew the dog was dangerous. California rejected that rule. Under section 3342, the first bite counts, the dog's clean history is not a defense, and the owner's surprise is not a defense. "He has never done that before" is something we hear in almost every case. It changes nothing about liability.
That does not mean the dog's history is irrelevant. Prior growling, snapping, or complaints to the landlord or to animal control still matter. They matter for claims against other defendants, they matter when the conduct was serious enough to warrant more than compensation, and they matter to the story a jury hears. We dig for that history in every case: animal control records, neighbor interviews, and prior reports.
The defenses that do exist are narrow. Trespassers are outside the statute's protection. Certain working-dog situations are treated differently. And insurance carriers frequently argue the victim provoked the dog, an argument aimed mostly at discounting the claim. We have seen every version of it, and the answer is evidence: what actually happened, in the seconds before the bite, told by witnesses and physical proof rather than by the adjuster's imagination.
Other Responsible Parties
The owner is the starting point, not always the end point. California law can reach others whose choices put a dangerous dog in a position to hurt you:
These theories matter most in the hardest cases: when the owner has no insurance, when the owner cannot be located, or when the attack happened at a rental property. A one-defendant case with no coverage is a dead end. Part of our job is making sure every responsible party, and every available policy, is in the case before deadlines close the door.
Bitten by a dog? Tell us what happened.
Free Case ReviewChildren
Dog bites to children are different, and the cases must be built differently. A child's face is at the height of a dog's mouth, so the injuries we see most in children are facial: lacerations near the eyes, the lips, and the cheeks, closed in an emergency room and carried for life.
Three things separate a child's case from an adult's. First, scarring is not static. A scar on a growing face changes over years, and revision procedures often must wait until the child is older. Settling early, before a plastic surgeon has projected what the scar will require at fourteen and at eighteen, means settling blind. Second, the psychological injury is real and it is compensable: nightmares, fear of dogs, fear of going outside, anxiety that shows up at school. Parents see it. Documenting what parents see, in daily-life terms, is evidence, and we know how to develop it. Third, the legal deadlines work differently for minors. Do not let anyone, including an adjuster, tell you the clock has run on your child's claim. Call and let us verify.
Carriers like to resolve children's cases fast and cheap, before the scar matures and before the psychological picture is understood. We do not let that happen. The case resolves when the injury is understood, not before.
Who Actually Pays
The most common reason dog bite victims wait, or never call at all, is that they know the owner. A friend, a relative, the neighbor two doors down. Here is the reality that changes the conversation: in most cases, the money does not come from the owner. It comes from an insurance company.
Homeowner and renter policies commonly cover dog bite liability. The owner bought that coverage for exactly this moment. When we pursue the claim, the carrier assigns the adjuster, the carrier hires the lawyers, and the carrier pays the settlement. Declining to bring a legitimate claim does not protect your neighbor. It protects their insurance company, and it leaves you holding the medical bills, the scars, and the lost wages alone.
Expect the carrier to behave like a carrier. Quick, modest offers arrive before the wound has healed and before anyone knows whether the scar will need revision. Recorded statements get requested early, while you are still being polite and minimizing. We take over that contact entirely, document the injury properly, and present the carrier with the case it will face at trial. Our Pasadena personal injury practice is built on one idea: carriers pay for cases they believe are going to a jury.
Find out what your case is actually worth.
Free Case ReviewFirst Things First
The first week decides how strong the case will be. Here is the order of operations:
Dog bites are puncture wounds, and puncture wounds infect. Emergency room or urgent care, same day. Describe every symptom, ask about the rabies protocol, and follow the treatment plan.
The report creates the official record: the dog's identity, its vaccination history, and any prior complaints. It also protects the next person. Make the report even if you know the owner.
Name, address, and phone number. Photograph the dog if you can do it safely. If the owner walked away, witnesses and neighbors usually know the dog.
Wounds change weekly. Scars mature over months. A dated photo series is the single most persuasive damages evidence in a bite case.
Provocation arguments die when an independent witness says what actually happened.
Torn, bloodied clothing shows the force of the attack. Do not wash it. Do not throw it away.
The owner's insurer will call quickly and warmly. Politely decline, take their information, and get counsel first.
The legal deadline is measured in years. The evidence deadline is measured in days. The consultation is free.
Deadlines
The general rule is two years from the date of the bite under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. Miss it and the claim is gone, no matter how strong it was. Different rules can apply when the victim is a child, and sorting out which deadline governs is a five-minute conversation, not something to guess about.
The evidence clock is far less forgiving. Animal control files get harder to obtain. Camera footage from nearby homes and businesses is overwritten in days. Witnesses move, and memories of the seconds before a bite soften into uncertainty. Wounds heal, and with them goes the visual proof of what the attack actually looked like. The earlier we start, the stronger the case. Call, tell us what happened, and let us take it from there.
If we don't win, you don't pay.
The consultation is free. The representation is on contingency. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney fee.
Questions We Hear Every Week
No. Civil Code section 3342 makes the owner strictly liable for a bite that happens in a public place, or anywhere you are lawfully present, regardless of the dog's history and regardless of whether the owner knew the dog could be dangerous. You do not prove carelessness. You prove ownership, the bite, where it happened, and the harm.
Yes, if you were lawfully there. The statute covers people lawfully on private property, including the owner's own property: invited guests, family members, neighbors, and workers such as mail carriers and delivery drivers performing their duties. The main exception is trespass. If you were lawfully present, strict liability applies.
In most cases, an insurance company. Homeowner and renter policies commonly cover dog bite liability, which means the claim is typically paid by a carrier, not out of the owner's pocket. That matters when the owner is a friend, a relative, or a neighbor. Pursuing the claim is not an attack on them. It is a claim on a policy they already paid for.
Sometimes. A landlord or property owner who actually knew a dangerous dog was on the property, and had the ability to do something about it, can bear responsibility under premises liability principles. These cases turn on proof of knowledge: prior complaints, prior incidents, and what the landlord saw and ignored. They matter most when the owner has no insurance.
Children are often bitten on the face, and their cases involve scarring that changes as they grow, revision procedures that may need to wait years, and psychological injuries such as nightmares and fear of dogs. The case must account for future care, not just the emergency room visit. Deadlines also work differently for minors, so call before assuming anything about timing.
Generally two years from the date of the bite under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. Different rules can apply when the victim is a child. The evidence clock runs faster than the legal one: animal control records, camera footage, and witness memories all fade. Call early, even if you have not decided what to do.
Nothing out of pocket. We work on contingency: the consultation is free, we advance the costs, and if there is no recovery you owe no attorney fee.
Client Reviews
Ani A., Glendalevia Yelp"The guy who hit me had a low max coverage. I don't know what magic Vertanous Firm worked, but I got paid for my damages less than a year out from my accident, and was paid three times more than the policy limit."
Tony K., Burbankvia Yelp"Tom is the absolute best. He knows the law and he also knows medicine. One meeting with Tom and he was able to understand the medicine behind my condition and find the appropriate doctors."
Bobby S., Los Angelesvia Yelp"Tom is a straight shooter and he's whip-smart. He treated my case as though it were his own. He has a gift for compassion that sets him apart from other legal professionals."
Where We Work
From our office at 301 N. Lake Ave in Pasadena, we represent dog bite victims across the San Gabriel Valley and all of Los Angeles County, in English, Armenian, and Farsi.
Contact
Call, text, email, or send a brief message. We respond the same day. Free consultation. No fee unless we win.
