If my dog was attacked by my roommate’s pet cats and injured, who gets the bill?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If my dog was attacked by my roommate’s pet cats and injured, who gets the bill?
My 20 lb Boston Terrier was basically jumped by my 2 roommates cats. They’ve both accepted and admitted via email that their cats are basically feral and did this damage but they won’t accept financial responsibility. He needs to have his eye removed as the injury caused severe glaucoma – the vet attests that it is because of the injury. Who pays – all of us a third, just those 2? They’re being really rude, so it looks like we’re gonna be headed for court. We all lived together. I’ve moved out since.
Asked on December 19, 2011 under Bankruptcy Law, Illinois
Answers:
MD, Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
You sue them together and they will each be required to pay (this is what you shoot for) for the whole and they can seek contribution from each other for reimbursement. Keep all of the evidence and since you do not know and the court won't know which of the cats committed the act and that both tenants admitted to the violent negligent act, the chances are the court will give you full medical recovery. The issue may be though in terms of your concern of the 1/3 split amongt the three of you is whether you were negligent in allowing your terrier to be around feral cats. That might be an issue if you knew they were feral (wild). However, it may not be an issue if you have all lived together for a significant time period and never had an issue before.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.