Dog bites can cause serious injuries, scarring, emotional trauma, and lasting medical issues, and they fall disproportionately on children and on the face, hands, and arms.
California’s approach to owner liability removes the argument these claims turn on in most other states, which usually leaves the dispute over what the injury is worth rather than over whether anyone is answerable for it. Margossian Law represents people injured by dogs in California.
California Does Not Give a Dog One Free Bite
Many states require an injured person to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous. California does not. An owner is generally strictly liable for a bite that happens in a public place, or anywhere the injured person was lawfully present, whether or not the dog had ever shown aggression before.
That removes the argument these cases usually turn on elsewhere. What remains in dispute is typically whether the person was lawfully present, whether they provoked the animal, and, most often, what the injury is worth.
The Claim Is Usually Against a Policy, Not a Person
Dog bite claims are ordinarily paid by a homeowners or renters insurance policy rather than by the owner personally. That matters when the owner is a neighbor, a friend, or a relative, and the prospect of suing them is the reason someone hesitates to make a claim at all.
Some policies exclude particular breeds or exclude animal liability altogether, so establishing what coverage exists is an early step rather than a late one.
Scarring, Children, and What the Injury Is Worth
Dog bites concentrate on the face, hands, and arms, and children are bitten disproportionately and bitten higher on the body. Disfigurement and scarring are recognized losses in California alongside medical treatment, lost income, and pain and suffering.
Scars change over the first year or more, and revision surgery is often not considered until they have matured. Resolving a claim before that is known risks settling a permanent injury at a temporary value. Psychological effects (lasting fear of dogs, disrupted sleep, avoidance) are compensable and are routinely left out of an early offer.