If my dog chewed the neighbor’s very old rundown fence now they want me to pay for it, do I have too??
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If my dog chewed the neighbor’s very old rundown fence now they want me to pay for it, do I have too??
We have a fenced in back yard. The back fence is ours and so is the front part however both sides belong to either neighbor. The on side is a very old run down wooden fence. We got a golden retriever puppy back about a year ago and the neighbor’s have a pit bull between the 2 dogs the fence has many broken parts and the neighbor is now coming to us wanting money to fix the fence. Are we liable?? And, if so, how much so?
Asked on July 12, 2012 under Personal Injury, Indiana
Answers:
Leigh Anne Timiney / Timiney Law Firm
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
It sounds like both your golden retreiver and the neighbor's pit bull are responsible for the damage to the fence. If your dog has in any way caused damage to another person's property, you are liable for the damage. It might be difficult to determine how much of the damage has been caused by your dog and how much by their dog. Unless you can show the majority of the damage has been done by your neighbor's dog, it is likely that a court would divid the costs of replacement of the fence in half and hold you responsible for half.
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