Chris Brown‘s former housekeeper Maria Avila is pushing back against the singer’s attempt to keep his 2009 Rihanna assault conviction out of their upcoming trial, demanding the court allow the record to be used as evidence.
The case stems from December 12, 2020, when Avila was taking out the trash at Brown’s Los Angeles residence — and was viciously attacked by his dog, “Hades,” a large and dangerous Caucasian Shepherd Ovcharka.
The severity of the attack became clear in court filings, where Maria’s sister Patricia Avila — who was present that day — testified that Hades tore “three to four inches of skin” from Maria’s arm. Maria required emergency surgery and continues to suffer from permanent disfigurement, nerve damage, and partial loss of vision.
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Following the attack, Brown’s bodyguards transported Hades to Humboldt County in Northern California, where the dog was abandoned. The animal was later recovered and euthanized by the Humane Society.
According to court documents, Maria has asked the judge to deny Brown’s motion to exclude his past domestic violence record from the trial. Her attorneys argue that Brown’s 2009 felony assault conviction — stemming from the incident involving Rihanna — should be admissible to challenge his credibility on the stand.
Brown’s legal team has pushed back hard, arguing that “referencing domestic violence incidents that occurred more than a decade ago and bear no connection to the subject incident is improper, irrelevant, and unduly prejudicial.”
In his deposition, Brown claimed he was upstairs in his bedroom when he heard Hades growling and came downstairs. He stated — “I didn’t touch her. I bent down and checked to make sure she was breathing. Then I ran and put the dogs away and told the security guard to come over.” On the subject of blood, Brown admitted — “I’m kind of squeamish with blood, so I kind of didn’t look all the way.” Defending his decision to leave the scene, he added — “I’m not bad — I’m not feeling bad about leaving the house.”
Brown is being sued alongside his company, Black Pyramid LLC, as a co-defendant. Maria’s husband is also a co-plaintiff, seeking loss of consortium damages. Sister Patricia has filed a separate lawsuit seeking compensation for the emotional trauma of witnessing the attack firsthand — and both sisters’ cases have been consolidated into a single trial scheduled for February 9, 2026.
The trial arrives at a particularly turbulent moment for Brown. He is also facing charges in London stemming from a February 2023 nightclub incident, where he allegedly caused bodily harm using an offensive weapon. Additionally, the 2024 docuseries “Chris Brown: A History of Violence” featured multiple women coming forward with their own assault allegations against the singer.
