Brooklyn judge declines expansion of liability in dog bite case
A judge refused to expand the limits of liability for dog owners whose pets bit a woman. A higher court expanded the standard for liability in animal bite cases. However, the lower Brooklyn court didn’t apply that expanded standard to the current case.
Maryann Cappellino was vacationing in Catskills when she was injured by three dogs who were chasing each other around the fields of the summer community locale. According to court documents, two dogs — one owned by Nick Bedell and his wife and one owned by Adena Kalet and her husband — hit Cappellino from behind, causing her to fall.
Cappellino filed suit alleging that the dog owners were negligent in having their dogs play without a leash, failed to warn that the animals may hit Cappellino’s leg and did not give the pets commands not to collide with a human.