Neighbor's Dog Jumped on Worker's Back, Causing Spinal Injury and PTSD: $117,969 Jury Verdict

Jose Vera, 43, was in the driveway of his Los Angeles home on March 8, 2022, moving his truck when a German Shepherd owned by neighbor Erik Murcia jumped onto his back and bit him. The attack was sudden and without warning. Vera was not on the dog's property. He was carrying out a routine task at his own home when the animal crossed onto him.

Vera sought medical treatment for pain in his cervical spine and was later diagnosed with PTSD stemming from the incident. His spine treatment began nine months after the attack, a gap the defense would later point to as evidence that his injuries were not caused by the dog. Past medical expenses totaled $6,019.

Vera filed suit against Murcia in Los Angeles Superior Court on December 22, 2023. LA Century Law attorneys Shantel Yaghoobian and Ryan Daneshrad represented him at trial. They argued that California's strict-liability dog bite statute applied: the dog's owner is liable regardless of the animal's prior history when a bite occurs in a public place or a place where the victim has a legal right to be, which a homeowner's own driveway plainly satisfies.

Murcia's defense team, from the Law Offices of Scott C. Stratman, contested both causation and the extent of Vera's injuries. They offered $30,000 to settle before trial. Vera's pre-litigation demand had been $50,000. The parties did not reach a resolution.

Judge Frederick C. Shaller presided over the trial. On October 3, 2025, the jury returned a verdict of $117,969 in Vera's favor, more than three times the defendant's final settlement offer and well above the plaintiff's own pre-trial demand. No appeal or post-verdict reduction has been reported.