TWO ATTACKS MINUTES APART CONSTITUTED A SINGLE EVENT IN THIS DOG BITE CASE, DEFENDANTS DEMONSTRATED THEY DID NOT HAVE NOTICE OF THE DOG’S VICIOUS PROPENSITIES, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment should not have been granted and defendants’ cross-motion for summary judgment should have been granted in this dog bite case. Defendant Garrett was dog-sitting Lily, a pit bull owned by defendant Hunt, in a fenced yard. Plaintiff brought her dog, Chloe, into the yard and Lily lunged at Chloe. A few minutes later Lily again lunged at Chloe and plaintiff was bitten. The Fourth Department found that the two attacks constituted a single event and defendants demonstrated they were not aware of Lily’s vicious propensities:

… [D]efendants established as a matter of law that they lacked actual or constructive knowledge that Lily had any vicious propensities … . We agree with defendants that the confrontation between the dogs was only one event, rather than two separate incidents as found by the court. Given the fact that only minutes passed between the two confrontations, we conclude that defendants did not acquire actual or constructive notice of any vicious propensities based on the initial confrontation. We likewise conclude that the court erred in denying that part of defendants’ cross motion for summary judgment dismissing the negligence cause of action. It is well settled that ” [c]ases involving injuries inflicted by domestic animals may only proceed under strict liability based on the owner’s knowledge of the animal’s vicious propensities, not on theories of common-law negligence’ ” … . Russell v Hunt, 2018 NY Slip Op 00750, Fourth Dept 2-2-18

ANIMAL LAW (TWO ATTACKS MINUTES APART CONSTITUTED A SINGLE EVENT IN THIS DOG BITE CASE, DEFENDANTS DEMONSTRATED THEY DID NOT HAVE NOTICE OF THE DOG’S VICIOUS PROPENSITIES, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FOURTH DEPT))/DOG BITES (TWO ATTACKS MINUTES APART CONSTITUTED A SINGLE EVENT IN THIS DOG BITE CASE, DEFENDANTS DEMONSTRATED THEY DID NOT HAVE NOTICE OF THE DOG’S VICIOUS PROPENSITIES, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FOURTH DEPT))