Most jurisdictions have statutes that pertain to animal bites, and a majority of states have dog bite specific statutes. The type of recovery you may receive depends on the law in your jurisdiction. If you are in a state that has a dog bite statute, the owner may be liable for an injury their dog causes, even if they did not know that the dog was dangerous; this is called strict liability. There are exceptions to this general rule, such as if the injured person was trespassing at the time of injury, the owner may not be liable. If you are in a jurisdiction that does not have a dog bite statute, proving the owner’s knowledge of possible danger and control over his or her animal becomes more important.
In some animal bite cases, the injury may not have been caused by a dog. Most jurisdictions do not have statutes specific to other types of animals. In the case of another domestic animal, you may have a negligence action. In a negligence claim, you must show that the owner of the animal knew of the animal’s dangerous tendencies and did not prevent the foreseeable harm that occurred.
Less often, the animal bite was caused by a wild animal. If the wild animal is owned by an individual, that person will usually be held to an absolute liability standard. This means that even if they have safety measures in place, the owners will be held responsible for any harm caused by their animal. If the wild animal is not owned by a private person, but a government entity or a facility, such as a zoo, absolute liability will not apply. Instead, negligence must be proven to the court to show the facility’s/government’s liability.
