The Law Office Of David W. HolubThe Law Office Of David W. Holub

The Law Office Of David W. HolubThe Law Office Of David W. Holub

My Neighbor’s Cat Attacked Me, Can I Sue?

You’re driving down the highway heading to another medical appointment when you see one of those big billboards and on it in big bold letters it says “Bit By A Dog, Call” and it lists the phone number of some law firm. And it got you to think about the injury you sustained just a week earlier. And you wonder if a lawyer could help you with your situation as well. But it wasn’t a dog that bit you, in fact it wasn’t a bite at all.

You were viciously attacked without provocation by Oscar, your neighbor’s kitty cat. A cat you have known for years as mostly friendly and laid back. But now you have scratches all over your face, arms and legs. You’ve already been to the emergency room for initial treatment and to your family physician for a follow up. And you’ve missed four days of work and based on doctors orders will probably miss another week.

So you decide to call a law firm and are told your injuries aren’t worth pursuing. Then you call another law firm and are told the same thing. How could this be, you wonder? Why doesn’t any law firm want to take your case?

The reason why some law firms may decline to take this type of case is that the value of the sustained injuries is under a threshold that makes these cases monetarily not feasible to represent. And proving that an animal was inherently poised to attack you when they’ve never exhibited that type of behavior before can be a hard sell to a jury. Now on the other hand, if the cat had the propensity to attack people in the past or even attack other cats, knowledge of those attacks may render the owner liable for injuries. So knowing the history of the cat is the only way to know if you might have a claim against the owner of the animal.

Animal bites are a type of legal claim that relates to the ownership of property. Just as it can be negligent to have a property hazard that will cause people to fall when they come onto the property, it can also be negligent to have a dog, cat or other animal where it creates a hazard to people coming onto the property. So too can liability arise from an animal (which is treated as an item of property) escaping from a property where it is usually kept safe and secure.

An animal attack is a frightening event to experience. The bite of a cat, dog or other animal or the sudden kick of a horse can result in severe injury and permanent scarring, or in the case of small children may result in death. If you or a family member has been bitten by an animal due to the owner’s negligence, you may be entitled to receive compensation. An owner may be found negligent for not keeping an animal contained or not supervising the animal responsibly.

The Law Offices of David W. Holub is a personal injury law firm located in Merrillville, Indiana, focused on providing efficient and effective client-centered representation. Our mission is to provide top quality legal representation, which includes an uncompromising pursuit of our client’s legal interests, while being accessible and attentive to our clients during times of personal challenge.

We have represented people injured by dogs, horses, and even a bull that escaped from a pen in a game and wildlife facility. Again, we are always available to consult with you on this type of injury case. The initial consultation is free and if we accept your case we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we do not charge a fee until we obtain money for you.

Selecting the right attorney to represent you after being injured can be frustrating. You’re in pain. You’re angry. And, information, as well as misinformation, is coming at you fast and from every direction, such as social media, newspaper ads, phonebook ads, TV ads, billboards, and those internet ads that stalk you from website to website.

If you are like most people, what you really want is just someone you can trust, who understands what you are going through, and is willing to help you, and has the experience and track record as an advocate to go the distance, so that when you are told that things will be okay, you can have confidence that things indeed will get better.

We want all of our clients to know that we are there for them, fighting for them, defending them, educating them, and keeping them in the loop on their cases.

If you’ve been injured and are looking for answers we invite you to make use of the information on our website, and to call our law office at (219) 736-9700 to schedule a time to talk directly to us and see firsthand if we are the right law firm for you.

If you would like to learn more about personal injury law, we encourage you to listen to our Personal Injury Primer Podcast where we break down the law into simple terms, provide legal tips, and discuss topics related to personal injury law. And read “Fighting For Truth: A Trial Lawyer’s Insight Into What It Takes To Win” an entertaining and enlightening book pulling readers into the courtroom giving them a glimpse of the legal process and what it takes to win at trial.