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What are we looking for in a dog bite case? Hi. I'm attorney Mike
Kaspszyk of MHK Attorneys. There are two considerations when
we're considering whether or not we're going to take a dog bite
case. The first is a very practical consideration. Many
people who own a dog that would attack a person is not the most
responsible people in the world. Often those people do not own a
home - or if they do own a home, they don't have a homeowner's
insurance policy. If the person who owns the dog does not have a
homeowner's or other applicable insurance policy, they're often
judgment proof. Meaning it's very difficult to get a judgment
you can actually collect for your injuries. So even though it
doesn't seem like a fair consideration, it's a very real
and practical consideration. So presuming we have a person who
owns a home or has some other applicable insurance policy, the
next consideration is does the dog have a vicious propensity?
In other words, did the homeowner know - or the person
who owns the dog - know that it had the ability to attack other
people? That is sometimes difficult to prove. The other
consideration though - and another way you can establish
liability for a dog bite case - is if the person allowed the dog
to run free. In other words, they didn't have it properly
contained inside the home or tethered on a line, or if they
were walking the dog they were letting the dog run free. In
that situation, you can establish negligence as a matter
of law even if the person did not know of the vicious
propensity of the dog. In those cases, we would consider taking
a dog bite case. But again, why are we telling you this? Because
most of the time the consideration on whether or not
we're going to take a dog bite case hinges on that practical
consideration. Is there some way to get you money? If you have
questions, call me. I'm Mike Kaspszyk. Phone number is
855-MHK-ATTY. Thank you for your time.