A California jury awarded Chris Brown’s former housekeeper $9.5 million to avoid a retrial in her lawsuit.
Maria Avila sued the “Residuals” singer after she was disfigured in an attack by Brown’s dog while working at his Tarzana, Ca. home in 2020.
In June 2026 a jury awarded Avila $12.9 million in damages. She had asked for $90 million in damages.
In a ruling on September 28, Judge Huey P Cotton gave Avila the option of accepting reduced damages of $9.5 million or proceed with a new trial which would limit the amount of compensation she would receive.
The judge previously allowed Avila to seize a portion of the proceeds from Chris Brown and Usher Raymond’s R&B Tour.
The judge said she should receive millions in compensation for her emotional distress and persistent pain. But she is not allowed to collect damages for nerve damage and vision problems because she lacked sufficient evidence.
The judge rejected Brown’s argument that the trial was unfair because jurors heard a reference to his past abuse of singer Rihanna.
Brown was ordered to pay a separate $855,000 judgment to Avila’s sister who also worked in the home during the dog attack.