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| Dog Bite/Strict Liability-Animal Control Act |
| Style of Case: JoJo Becker, a Minor, by and through her Mother and Next Friend, Jody Becker v. George J. Buhr and Dorothy Buhr |
| Client: George and Dorothy Buhr |
| Trial End Date: 3/22/2004 |
| Court: St. Clair County Circuit Court, Belleville, Illinois |
| Type of Case: Dog Bite/Strict Liability-Animal Control Act |
| Judge: The Honorable Jan V. Fiss |
| Reed Armstrong Lawyer who tried the case: William Starnes II |
| Jury Verdict |
| Minor Plaintiff claimed defendant’s Brittany Spaniel attacked and bit plaintiff on property where plaintiff lived when she was 9 years old in 1996 causing 3 permanent facial lacerations. Plaintiff’s Mother claimed she heard scream and saw daughter on ground and dog running back toward defendants house with dog chain in tow. Both claim step-father/ex-husband picked plaintiff up off the ground. Defendants claimed dog was still on his chain on their property when they arrived home to find message on answering machine that their dog had been involved in a dog bite. Step-Father/ex-husband testified he heard the scream and proceeded toward it. When he first saw minor plaintiff 15 seconds later, she was 50-75 feet away from and running away from defendant’s property line. Defendant’s dog was in his usual area where he was usually chained although the witness did not recall if he saw him chained. The minor plaintiff confided with him days after the incident that it occurred in the dog’s territory.
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| Additional Information |
| Last Demand: $100,000.00 |
| Verdict: Defense Verdict (jury deliberated five hours) |
