Dog Bite/Animal Attack Case Values in California (2026)

Dog bite and animal attack cases against the City of Los Angeles show remarkably consistent and high-value outcomes, with a median and mean both at $5.4M across the three tracked cases, suggesting a stable and significant valuation benchmark for municipal liability claims in this category. All three cases involve the same defendant — the City of Los Angeles — indicating a pattern of substantial governmental liability exposure, likely tied to police K-9 deployments or city-owned animals, where plaintiffs have successfully argued negligent handling or deployment. California's pure comparative negligence framework and the absence of a non-economic damages cap, combined with plaintiff-favorable jury pools in Los Angeles, appear to be driving consistently large recoveries in the $3.3M–$7.5M range.