A Los Angeles County jury awarded $5.4 million to Genice Horta, 51, a woman who was severely injured in a dog attack at a city animal shelter. The attack involved a Belgian Malinois named Maximus, which allegedly had a documented history of biting people that was not disclosed to Horta before the incident.
According to the lawsuit, Horta was hired in September 2020 to transport the dog from a Los Angeles shelter to a rescue group in Arizona. During the transfer, the dog suddenly lunged and bit her right hand and arm, causing severe injuries that required six surgeries and left her with permanent damage.
Court records revealed that Maximus had previously bitten multiple people, including a teenager and a shelter employee, and had shown aggressive behavior toward people walking near his enclosure. Shelter staff had even documented warnings such as “USE EXTREME CAUTION.” However, Horta said she was never informed about the dog’s dangerous history.
After a 10-day trial, the jury determined that the City of Los Angeles was 62.5% responsible, the rescue organization HIT Living Foundation was 25% responsible, and Horta was 12.5% responsible. The damages were awarded for medical expenses, pain, and suffering.
The case exposed what Horta’s attorneys described as serious and preventable failures by shelter officials to properly warn people about the risks of adopting or handling dangerous animals. It also became the third multimillion-dollar payout in recent years involving allegations that Los Angeles animal shelters failed to disclose a dog’s violent history.
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