August 1, 2011

Indianapolis Landlord Not Liable for Injuries Caused by Tenant's Dog

In McCraney v. Gibson, et al., the Indiana Court of Appeals held that a landlord was not liable for the injuries sustained by a neighbor when a tenant’s dog attacked the neighbor in an alley after escaping through a gate in the backyard.

The backyard of the landlord’s property was fenced-in. The only access from the backyard to the alley was through a gate, which was chained at the top and bottom so that there were no gaps. Before signing the lease, the tenant inspected the fence and gate and did not find any problems. At some point after signing the lease and before the date neighbor was injured, the tenant told the landlord the gate was inadequate to contain the tenant’s dog; a one half bullmastiff, one half boxer. Before the date of the incident, the landlord had no knowledge of the tenant’s dog ever escaping from the property, or any knowledge of any dangerous propensities of the tenant’s dog.

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March 24, 2011

Doctors Reattach 5-year-old's Ear After Pit Bull Attack

On the morning of March 23, 2011, a 5-year-old girl was playing with her grandfather's 80-pound pit bull when it attacked her, biting through the child's ear and pulling it off of her head. Doctors at a northern Indiana hopital succeeded in reattaching the child's ear. After the attack, the dog was euthanized.

Please click here to read the article at IndyStar.com.