A man from Pinellas County filed a lawsuit against his landlord and the owner of a dog that bit him, alleging the two parties’ negligence in failing to prevent the injuries.
The man, Paul W. Kurtz, filed the suit on June 11 in Pinellas County Circuit Court against Turner Family Partnership, Ltd. and Amanda L. Bechtel. In the complaint, Kurtz says that on March 9, 2015, he was walking on the sidewalk next to the apartment Bechtel leases from Turner. He alleges the dog approached suddenly and without any warning to violently attack him.
Kurtz suffered bodily injuries, pain, mental anguish and disfigurement, and incurred significant expenses for medical treatment and a hospital stay. He alleges the defendants did not exercise the appropriate amount of care to prevent the dangerous condition around the premises with the presence of a violent dog. He seeks damages of more than $15,000 in the suit, including medical expenses, court costs and other relief.
Owners liable for dog behavior
Dog owners in Florida are responsible for their dogs’ behavior. Their only defenses in cases in which their dog bites another person are trespassing (the victim was not invited or did not have permission to be on the property) and comparative negligence (the victim also bore some responsibility for the incident). Otherwise, dog owners will typically be held strictly liable when their dog bites another person and causes an injury.
For further information on proceeding with a personal injury claim if you’ve been bit by another person’s dog, meet with a knowledgeable Manatee County personal injury attorney at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez, Murphy & Walsh.