Chris Brown’s dog attack case was declared a mistrial due to juror misconduct on Tuesday.
The Loyal singer was set to testify in the dog-mauling trial in Los Angeles on Tuesday when the judge declared a mistrial.
“Unfortunately, one of the jurors has violated my admonitions against searching the internet for information, and not only that, but he also shared it, and as a consequence, I have to declare a mistrial,” Judge Huey P. Cotton said, according to Rolling Stone.
After the jurors left, the judge asked Brown and the legal teams to remain in the courtroom while they began jury selection over again from a pool of candidates already assembled in the building.
However, the singer’s lawyers asked the court for a further delay, as the 37-year-old had to fly to Las Vegas that night to see his newborn son, whom he welcomed with partner Jada Wallace in April.
Judge Cotton ordered Brown to return on Thursday morning, when he will be the first witness to take the stand in the trial.
The Run It hitmaker was sued in 2021 by Patricia Avila, the sister of his former housekeeper, Maria Avila, who was allegedly attacked by a large Caucasian Shepherd Dog outside his Los Angeles home in December 2020. The dog allegedly tore flesh from her face and arm and bit her hand and foot when she stepped outside to take out the trash.
Avila, who allegedly needed emergency surgery and now suffers permanent disfigurement, nerve damage, and vision loss, sued Brown for $90 million (£67 million) in damages alongside her husband and her sister Patricia, the latter of whom was present at the scene.
According to Rolling Stone, after years of contesting the claims, Brown accepted partial responsibility during jury selection on Monday.
He agreed that Maria Avila suffered damages in the incident, so the trial will centre upon a “difference of opinion” over how much Brown should pay her, and whether her husband and sister are entitled to compensation too.
