FAQ Category: Featured Dog Bite FAQs

Insurance adjusters work to minimize payouts and often raise provocation or trespassing defenses. An experienced dog bite attorney handles the insurer, documents your damages, and protects your right to full compensation.

It depends on the severity of the injury, medical costs, scarring or disfigurement, lost income, and emotional trauma. The best way to estimate value is a free consultation — call (626) 397-1050.

Strict liability under § 3342 applies to bites. If a dog knocked you down or caused another injury without biting, you may still recover by proving the owner was negligent in controlling the dog.

Most dog bite claims are paid by the dog owner’s homeowners’ or renters’ insurance, not out of the owner’s pocket — so pursuing a claim usually doesn’t mean a neighbor or friend pays personally.

Generally two years from the date of the bite (Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1). Claims against a government entity have a much shorter six-month deadline. Cases involving minors can follow different timelines.

No. California uses strict liability under Civil Code § 3342. A dog owner can be liable for the very first bite — you don’t have to prove the dog had bitten before or that the owner knew it was dangerous.