What happened?
In 2025, Abrenio Law was able to obtain a $160,000 settlement for a client who was the victim of a dog attack. The case demonstrated important points for Virginia dog attack law. In this case, the client was a delivery man when he went to a customer’s residence to deliver food. The client had previously delivered food to the residence, during which time the customer’s dog had shown aggression towards him. Therefore, he called the customer to come outside to pick up the food, which she did.
Unfortunately, as the customer went back into her house, she allowed her dog to escape without a leash. The dog then proceeded to run after the client, bit him, and caused him to fall to the ground with great force. Ultimately, the fall resulted in an injury to his back, which required multiple conservative treatments to include MRIs and physical therapy. Fortunately, he did not require surgery.
What can this teach us about Virginia dog bite laws?
This case does demonstrate important elements to a Virginia dog bite case. Regarding holding the owner liable, Virginia applies a “one bite” rule, which requires a Plaintiff to demonstrate that the dog has proved dangerous before, thus, putting the owner on notice that the dog may cause injury. While we don’t believe this requires the Plaintiff to show the dog literally bit someone before, the Plaintiff will need to investigate whether the owner knew or should have known that the dog presented a danger to others.
Alternatively, this case also demonstrates another avenue to hold the owner liable. Here, the owner allowed the dog to leave the house without a leash. Many communities have “leash laws” that require dogs to be on leashes and not to roam free. If there are leash laws that were violated, this may lead to negligence “per se,” meaning the owner is liable.
This case also demonstrates the need for real damage. If a dog “nips” the Plaintiff, sure the Plaintiff has a claim. Ultimately, the real question is what is the claim actually worth? In this case, our client sustained real injury requiring treatment. And he followed through with that treatment.
If you were injured in a Virginia dog attack, hopefully, this summary will provide some insight on what to be on the lookout for as you consider your rights. We’d also encourage you to check out our Dog Bite practice page for more information. And, of course, we always recommend you reach out to an attorney to talk about the specifics of your claim.
Have questions about your case?
Make sure to check out our Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Practice Pages where we’ve answered many other questions you likely have. Abrenio Law is a Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Law Firm representing individuals in Northern Virginia and throughout the Commonwealth. You can learn more about Abrenio Law by visiting our About Us page. You can also read about some of our Prior Results, and Read Our Reviews. Make sure to contact us at Ph. 703-570-4180 for your Free Consultation.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Every case is different, and the results depend on the unique facts presented. Nothing in our reported results is intended to imply that we would reach a similar result in your case. For every case that we accept, we complete a detailed evaluation for you (in most cases in writing) to provide you our analysis regarding what we think your case is worth. The only promise that we can make to you is to give you 100% effort and work with you as best as we can to attain the right result for your case.