What is my liability if a person came to my house but her dog got out of her car and into a fight with my dog and she got bitten while trying to seperate them?
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What is my liability if a person came to my house but her dog got out of her car and into a fight with my dog and she got bitten while trying to seperate them?
Are her medical bills my responsibility?
Asked on December 10, 2014 under Personal Injury, Michigan
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 9 years ago | Contributor
No, they would not be your responsibility--a homeowner (or renter) is not responsible simply because someone is injured at their property. Rather, to be liable, the homeowner must have been at fault. But if there is anyone at fault here, it is the other person--
a) she brought a dog to a house already with a dog, creating the potential for a dog fight;
b) she did the negligent, or careless, thing of reaching into a dog fight to separate the animals
--so, she, not you, caused her injuries. Furthermore, she could be said to have "assumed" (or accepted the risk) of an injury when she reached into a dogfight--that is, she voluntarily did something which has obvious risks--and such assumption of the risk would also prevent her from holding you liable.
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