Chris Brown testified in court on Thursday that he was “in shock” when he found a housekeeper lying face down outside his Los Angeles home – seriously injured after being attacked by a massive guard dog on his property five years ago.
When he first took the stand in a civil trial in Van Nuys, California, Brown admitted some responsibility for Maria Avila’s injuries but denied being the owner of the Central Asian ovcharka named Hades who attacked her. The singer claimed the rare breed was purchased by his security team. In nearly three hours of testimony, Brown defended his decision not to personally call 911, not to provide aid to Avila as she bled on his sidewalk, and to leave the scene before paramedics and police arrived.
Brown, 37, said he was about to take a shower when he heard Hades growling and ran down the stairs to investigate on December 12, 2020. He claims he saw Avila lying motionless on the ground and secured the dog in a kennel while shouting to a security guard to “get the fuck over here.” He told jurors he leaned down and came within a foot of her to make sure she was still breathing. When she switched sides shortly afterwards, moaning, he saw fresh blood on the concrete, on her arm and on her face.
Blood and shock
When Avila’s attorney, Nancy Doumanian, asked Brown to describe the “open wounds” on Avila’s face, the singer pointed to his forehead and ran his finger down his nose and under his right eye. “It was cut open, like it was severed,” he said. “I know it sounds drastic, but you could see the skin breaking open. You could see the cut and the blood oozing out.” He said he never physically touched Avila at any time.
“There was a lot of blood,” he admitted when asked by Michael Murphy Jr., the attorney representing Avila’s sister, also a housekeeper who was there that day and has her own claims against Brown. “The blood scared me a little bit,” he said, when it was his own lawyer’s turn to ask questions.
Brown admitted that he did not call 911 himself because he did not want the recording to leak and trigger a media “circus.” He also confirmed that he never instructed his security staff to secure his home’s surveillance videos of the incident, claiming it was his manager’s suggestion that he leave the house before emergency responders arrived.
Escape from the public
“He wanted to make sure she was taken care of and get me out of the public eye,” Brown said.
“What would have been the problem with staying and waiting for paramedics with a woman bleeding in your driveway? Why would that be a problem for you as a celebrity?” Doumanian asked incredulously.
“Because of my image and how it is always exploited. I didn’t want a misleading story or a circus because of my status. This is quite sensitive. So I was advised to stay out of it,” he said.
No help provided
“Didn’t you think your reputation would suffer more if you fled the scene?” Doumanian asked. Brown said he did not run. However, he admitted driving around for a few hours and stopping at a gas station before being told he could return home.
“Did you put your hand under her head? A towel, your sweater – anything?” Doumanian asked. She asked if he ever offered Avila water. Brown said no.
“I never touched her,” he repeated. “I was in shock.”
Allegations of the plaintiff
During the jury selection process, which included a miscarriage of justice decision in which an initial panel had to be fired and replaced because of a juror’s misconduct, Brown’s attorney told the court that his client agreed that Avila was entitled to some damages. The lawyer said the case would boil down to a “difference of opinion” over how high it should be.
Brown claimed on the witness stand Thursday that he warned Avila and her sister not to go outside without his permission. He claimed he told the women in English that the dogs were not friendly. Doumanian replied that the women were Spanish-speaking, which is why – if the conversation even took place, which the women deny – they would not have understood him. He claimed they said “okay.”
In her lawsuit, Avila describes how the large dog appeared out of nowhere and ripped flesh – and even bone – from her face and arm while she “screamed in terror and called for help.” She claims Brown came outside, stood over her while talking on the phone, and then “flee the scene” while she lay bleeding in the driveway. Avila says she required emergency surgery and has since suffered from permanent disfigurement, nerve damage and vision loss.
Avila’s own statement
“It bit me on the face, my hand and sunk its teeth into my foot,” she said in an October 2023 testimony. “I didn’t see it, I just felt it – it was something very big.” Avila did not see Brown take the dog away, she said. “All I heard was the car driving away.”
The judge had previously granted Brown’s request to bar questions about his 2009 conviction for aggravated assault on his ex-girlfriend Rihanna. During jury selection on Monday, several candidates said they could not judge impartially because they knew of his history of domestic violence. The judge said this history was not relevant to the dog attack trial, but dismissed the jurors in question anyway.