My current caseload includes nine dog bite cases. I have personally handled over fifty dog bite cases both pre-litigation and in the Courthouses of Kentucky. This includes the largest dog bite verdict for pain and suffering in Kentucky which was close to 14x medical expenses. This is not a dabble practice area for me. I have recovered over one million dollars for the victims of dog bites. Here are the three most asked questions of me as a Kentucky Dog Bite Lawyer:
What is my case worth?
A dog bite case is worth what an insurance company will pay or what a jury will award. That is a fancy and lawyerly way of saying I don’t know! In order to properly evaluate a dog bite case I need three things liability, damages, and coverage.
Liability is usually pretty clear. Dogs should not bite or attack people. Kentucky does not have a one-bite-free law and a dog owner is strictly liable for damages. Damages include any past, present, future emotional or physical damages and medical expenses. Lost wages can also factor into the value of dog bite case. Really cases boil down to what damage did the Plaintiff suffer. Terrible damage cases have more value than a case where you can’t see the damage. We also include an evalution of the injured person. A young girl who is bitten in a visible area has a more valuable case than if I got bit (I’m a 42 year old married man). The last element is often the most difficult: insurance coverage. The dog that bites you must have a owner that is insured or very, very wealthy.
I do the dog bite consultations at my firm and they are free. Cases are fact specific because no dog bite case and no person is the same. I will tell if there is a case worth pursuing and a ballpark figure on what I think it could be worth. Please note this figure will probably be conservative because I don’t want clients signing with me for unfulfilled promises. Plenty of lawyers promise the world and then underdeliver. That is not a way I practice law.
Will They Put Down the Dog?
It is unlikely they will put down the dog. There are two exceptions: 1) if the dog causes an unreal amount of damage or kills someone it is likely they will put down the dog; and 2) if the dog has a repeated history of violence it increases the chances that animal control will terminate the dog.
Do I Have to File a Lawsuit?
Having handled 50+ dog bite cases I think the likelihood of litigation on a dog bite case is around 1/3. 2/3 of cases resolve without the necessity of a lawsuit. The client is the ultimate decisionmaker on a lawsuit. I can’t file a lawsuit without authority. My job is to advise and argue for the client. The client’s job is to get the treatment they need to get better and make decisions.
If you have any more questions on your dog bite case send me an email to bdettman@dettmanlawgroup.com or call 502-779-9998. Consultations are free and you don’t pay unless there is a recovery.
More information on dog bites is available here: https://www.dogsbite.org/ and here: https://louisville-injury-lawyer.com/service/animal-bites/
