$21.5 Million Settlement for Jogger Mauled by Dogs King County Failed to Remove

On February 22, 2022, Gyongyi Maas was jogging on a public street in unincorporated Auburn when two dogs charged out of a residential property and dragged her to the ground. The animals broke bones in both of her arms, bit off most of one ear, and tore a muscle from her leg. A neighbor who tried to help was also bitten. Sheriff's deputies arrived and shot one dog; the other was captured by animal control. Maas was transported to Harborview Medical Center.

The attack left Maas with injuries severe enough to require more than 20 surgeries over the following two years. She sustained lacerations to her head, face, torso, arms, and legs, along with multiple fractures. Her recovery was ongoing at the time of settlement.

At the center of the lawsuit was what King County knew and when. Neighbors had placed more than 75 calls to the King County Sheriff's Office, Regional Animal Care Services, and Code Enforcement between 2018 and the date of the attack, reporting aggressive dogs, squatters, criminal activity, and accumulating garbage at the property on 45th Place South. A Hearing Examiner issued an order on August 30, 2021, directing the permanent removal of dangerous dogs from the property. The county impounded the animals around that time and then improperly released them. They remained on the property until the February 2022 attack.

The county also faced sanctions issued August 15, 2025, after it destroyed the bodies of both dogs and lost investigative reports from the incident, eliminating key evidence.

Attorney Gemma Zanowski represented Maas and her family. The case settled following a July 22, 2025 court ruling. In addition to the county's $21.5 million payment, the property owner agreed to pay the limits of the homeowner's insurance policy and to sell the property so it could be cleaned up and the neighborhood restored. King County acknowledged the lasting harm to Maas while noting that Washington state law required the county to cover the full loss when the other parties lacked sufficient resources to satisfy a judgment.

The $21.5 million payment is the largest settlement King County has paid for personal injuries.