Managing Partner
A dog bite rarely happens the way people expect. It’s often a neighbor’s dog, a friend’s pet, or an animal you’ve walked past on the same street for years. If a dog bit you or your child in Los Angeles, California law gives you a direct path to hold the owner accountable.
Working with a Los Angeles dog bite attorney early can affect how much compensation you recover and how quickly. Glotzer & Leib LLP represents bite victims throughout Los Angeles County, and we offer a free consultation. Call us at 747-241-8288 to talk about what happened and what comes next.
California treats dog bite cases differently than most other injury claims, and that difference works in your favor. Under California Civil Code Section 3342, dog owners are strictly liable for bites that occur in a public place or while you’re lawfully on private property.
That means you don’t have to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous or had bitten anyone before. If the dog bit you and you weren’t trespassing or provoking the animal, the owner is responsible.
Get medical care first, even if the wound looks minor. Dog bites carry a real risk of infection, nerve damage, and scarring, and an urgent care visit or emergency room record also becomes evidence that ties your injury to the date of the incident.
From there, a few early steps make a real difference in how your claim unfolds:
Los Angeles Animal Services investigates bite incidents and can place a dog under quarantine or observation, so reporting the bite isn’t just a formality. That report becomes part of the official record insurers and courts rely on later, and it also protects the next person the dog might encounter.
If the wound is visible, keep taking photos as it heals over the following weeks, not just on the day it happened. Scarring often looks different at two weeks than it does at two months, and that progression matters when valuing a claim involving a child’s face, arm, or hand.
The dog’s owner is almost always the liable party, though liability can extend to a landlord, property manager, or dog walker in certain situations. California’s strict liability statute removes the “one free bite” defense that some states still allow, so an owner can’t avoid responsibility just because their dog never bit anyone before.
Liability gets more complicated when a dog is off-leash in a public park, when a renter’s dog bites someone in a common area of an apartment complex, or when a business owner knew an aggressive dog was present on the property.
Los Angeles Municipal Code also requires dogs to be leashed in most public spaces, and violating that ordinance can strengthen a negligence claim on top of the strict liability standard. We look at every angle of ownership and control before deciding who to name in a claim, because the wrong target can stall a case for months.
Multi-unit apartment buildings, common throughout neighborhoods like Koreatown, Mid-City, and the San Fernando Valley, raise their own liability questions. A property manager who received prior complaints about an aggressive dog on the premises and did nothing may share responsibility alongside the owner.
The same logic applies to delivery drivers and postal workers, who are bitten on private property more often than most people realize, and who have their own set of legal protections when a homeowner’s dog gets loose in a front yard or driveway.
Insurers push back on dog bite claims more aggressively than almost any other injury type. This is largely because homeowners and renters policies often exclude certain dog breeds or cap payouts on bite claims specifically.
Adjusters frequently argue that the victim provoked the dog, that the injury was minor, or that a pre-existing condition explains the scarring or nerve pain. Some insurance companies also delay by requesting records they don’t need, hoping a victim gives up or settles for less out of frustration.
We’ve dealt with these tactics enough times to recognize them immediately, and we don’t let a delay tactic become a reason to accept less than a case is worth.
Breed exclusions catch a lot of people off guard. A policy might exclude coverage for specific breeds altogether, or reduce the payout cap if the dog falls into a category the insurer considers higher risk.
When that happens, we look beyond the homeowner’s primary policy to see whether an umbrella policy, a separate liability rider, or the property owner’s own coverage might still apply.
Walking away after one denial letter is often the exact outcome the insurer is hoping for.
Yes, hiring a lawyer gives you a real advantage against an insurance adjuster who negotiates bite claims every single day. Scarring, especially on a child’s hand or face, requires a different kind of valuation than a routine cut, and most people underestimate what long-term cosmetic or emotional harm is worth.
A knowledgeable attorney also knows how to preserve animal control records before they’re purged and how comparative fault rules might otherwise shrink an offer. Call Glotzer & Leib LLP at 747-241-8288 for a free consultation, and let a focused legal team handle the claim while you focus on recovering.
Compensation in a dog bite case typically covers medical treatment, lost income, pain and suffering, and, where relevant, the cost of reconstructive or plastic surgery for scarring.
Emotional distress, particularly for children who develop a lasting fear of dogs, is also a recoverable element that many victims don’t realize they can claim.
The value of a case depends heavily on the severity and location of the wound, whether surgery was needed, and how the injury affects daily life going forward. A bite to the face or hands generally carries a higher value than a bite to the leg, given the visibility of scarring and its effect on someone’s confidence and daily interactions.
Some dog bite injuries require more than one round of treatment. A child who needs revision surgery years later, once the scar has fully matured, should have that future cost accounted for in any settlement, not just the bills already paid.
The same goes for ongoing physical therapy after a bite that damaged tendons or nerves in the hand, which can take months to fully resolve. We work with treating physicians and, when needed, outside medical experts to project these future costs accurately, rather than settling based only on the bills sitting in front of us today.
Josh Glotzer and our team bring more than 50 years of combined legal experience to personal injury and premises liability cases across Los Angeles County. Our firm holds a 10.0 client rating on Avvo, membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and recognition from Super Lawyers as a Top Rated Personal Injury Attorney in Los Angeles, CA.
Results matter more than credentials on a wall, and our track record includes a $2.4 million recovery for a slip and fall accident, $995,000 for a negligent security case, and $1.6 million for an auto accident client.
Dog bite and premises-based injury claims share a lot in common with these cases, since both often involve a property owner’s failure to control a known hazard.
Our clients describe what working with us actually feels like.
“Mr. Josh Glotzer is a great attorney. Over the last 15 years he has helped me on a number of cases with professionalism, and more importantly a positive outcome in my favor. I have referred him to a number of friends and colleagues, all of which have been equally as happy with his legal representation. I trust him and confident in legal ability. I highly recommend his law firm.”
“Don’t try to deal with insurance companies on your own. They strung me along for almost two years before I gave the case to Glotzer & Leib. Josh and his team quickly obtained a settlement that netted me many times what the insurance company was offering. Thank You!”
Sometimes, a dog owner has no homeowners or renters policy, and that doesn’t mean your claim disappears. We look at umbrella policies, the property owner’s coverage if the bite happened on rented land, and any business liability policy if the incident occurred at a workplace or commercial property.
In some cases, pursuing the owner’s personal assets directly is the right path, particularly when the injury is severe enough to justify a lawsuit rather than a settlement demand.
We’ve seen situations where a renter’s dog bit a visitor and the renter had no policy at all, but the landlord carried a commercial liability policy that covered common-area incidents. Finding that second layer of coverage took a careful read of the lease and the property’s insurance history, something most people wouldn’t think to request on their own.
A thorough investigation into every available source of coverage is part of building a claim that actually pays out, rather than one that stalls because the obvious insurance policy falls short.
California generally gives you two years from the date of the bite to file a personal injury lawsuit, though exceptions exist for claims involving government-owned dogs or minors. Contact us as soon as possible so we can confirm your specific deadline and protect your right to file.
Most dog bite claims settle through negotiation with the owner’s insurance carrier, but we prepare every case as if it may end up in front of a jury. That preparation is often exactly why insurers offer a fair settlement instead of risking a trial outcome.
A prior bite history strengthens your claim significantly and may support a request for higher compensation, since it shows the owner had reason to control the animal more carefully. We request animal control records early to check for any prior incidents involving the same dog, including reports filed under a different address if the owner has moved.
Yes, and this happens more often than people expect. Filing a claim against a friend’s homeowners insurance policy doesn’t come out of their personal savings, and most policies exist specifically to cover situations like this.
We rely on witness accounts, animal control reports, medical records, and photographic evidence to build a claim even when a young child can’t provide a detailed statement. Our team has handled bite cases involving young children and knows how to document the incident thoroughly on their behalf, including working with school staff or caregivers who may have witnessed the aftermath.
A dog bite claim moves fastest, and pays fairest, when the right evidence gets collected early and the right person is contacted about coverage before the trail goes cold.
If a dog bit you or your child anywhere in Los Angeles, don’t wait to find out what your claim might be worth. As a dog bite lawyer in Los Angeles, Josh Glotzer and our team at Glotzer & Leib LLP will review the facts of your case, explain your options in plain language, and handle communication with the insurance company on your behalf.
Call 747-241-8288 today for a free consultation with a dog bite attorney in Los Angeles who will treat your case, and your recovery, seriously.
Glotzer & Leib LLP
714 West Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90015
GLOTZER & LEIB, LLP 714 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015
“Mr. Glotzer represented me after I was involved in a car accident. I was badly injured,but the insurance company refused to offer me a reasonable settlement. I decided to find an attorney and decided to hire Josh.
His law firm did a great job on my case. They were very responsive to all my questions and obtained a great resolution for me. I received way more money than was originally offered. I would recommend their firm to friends and family.”
“Mr. Josh Glotzer is a great attorney. Over the last 15 years he has helped me on a number of cases with professionalism, and more importantly a positive outcome in my favor. I have referred him to a number of friends and colleagues, all of which have been equally as happy with his legal representation. I trust him and confident in legal ability. I highly recommend his law firm.”
“Don’t try to deal with insurance companies on your own. They strung me along for almost two years before I gave the case to Glotzer & Leib. Josh and his team quickly obtained a settlement that netted me many times what the insurance company was offering. Thank You!”
“My wife was in a car accident last year and Josh did an amazing job representing her. It’s very refreshing to see someone in his profession that actually cares and puts his clients first. He’s the best in the business and I feel so fortunate that I was referred to him. Keep up the great work and thanks for everything you did for my family!”
“I was in a rear end car accident last year and hired Mr. Glotzer’s office. It wasn’t a big case but their office helped me with my property damage claim and did a good job resolving the injury portion of the case as well.”
