Dog ownership comes with a substantial responsibility. Not only must dog owners care for the well-being and safety of their pets, but they also have a responsibility for the safety of people who may come in contact with their animals.
If you’ve been bitten or otherwise injured by someone else’s dog, you may be entitled to dog bite compensation in Florida. The Pompano Beach personal injury attorneys at Long & Jean, P.A., represent clients on a contingency basis. That means you won’t have to pay out of pocket for our professional legal services. We collect our fees when you receive a settlement or jury award. Call today for a free consultation.
What Compensation Can Include
We often see dog bite cases resulting in criminal charges for dog owners. However, this does little to compensate the victim, especially if they are experiencing trauma, stress, or confusion.
Long & Jean, P.A., represents plaintiffs like you in civil damage actions, where compensation awarded by the Florida courts can include the following:
Economic Damages
These are the financial costs of a dog bite. They include medical bills, lost wages, physical therapy, and any other tangible expenses. To prove economic damages, you need documents such as medical receipts, pay stubs, tax returns, and invoices for property damage.
Non-Economic Damages
These damages are also referred to as “pain and suffering.” Non-economic damages seek to compensate the victim for their physical pain, emotional anguish, and discomfort. These damages are often the most disputed. An experienced legal team can help you calculate appropriate compensatory damages for your claim.
Proving non-economic damages is more difficult than proving economic ones. However, you can strengthen your claim with documents such as medical notes from therapists, personal journals, and written testimony from friends and family members.
Punitive Damages
These are non-compensatory damages that are sometimes awarded in dog bite cases where it can be demonstrated that the owner acted with recklessness or malice. For instance, if a dog owner orders a dog to bite or attack a person, the court might award punitive damages. In Florida, punitive damages are capped at $500,000 or three times the amount of compensatory damages, whichever is greater.
Florida Liability Rules You Should Know
In Florida, like elsewhere in the country, establishing liability in a dog bite case generally requires proof of four key elements:
- Duty of Care: Dog owners have a duty of care to ensure that other people are safe in the presence of their pets.
- Breach of Duty: To successfully pursue damages, you must prove that the owner had a duty of care and that they somehow breached that duty. For instance, allowing a dog to run at large would be a breach of duty of care since the owner can’t ensure the safety of other parties.
- Causation: The owner’s breach of duty somehow led to the animal attack. For example, if a postal worker enters a fenced property to deliver mail because the owner failed to post ‘Beware of Dog’ signs (we’ll explain more about this later), it’s reasonable to assume that this caused the bite.
- Damages: You must suffer harm, financial loss, or other damages from a dog bite.
Strict Liability Under Statute 767.04
Florida law stipulates strict liability in certain cases. This means that a dog owner can be held responsible regardless of fault or intent. Under 767.04 of the 2025 Florida Statutes, a dog owner may be liable if their dog bites someone, even if the animal had no previous history of viciousness.
Comparative Negligence for a Dog Bite
A modified comparative negligence rule exists in Florida, meaning that your recovery amount may be reduced by the court if you are found to be up to 50% at fault for a dog bite. For example, if the court awarded you $10,000 in damages, but found you to be 25% at fault, your final recovery amount would be $7,500. However, if a court found you to be more than 50% at fault, you wouldn’t receive any damages.
‘Bad Dog’ Signs
One thing to consider is that a dog owner may not be held liable by the court if their dog bites someone on their property and they have a clear and visible ‘bad dog’ sign posted there.
Factors That Influence Florida Dog Bite Claim Value
So, how much is a dog bite claim worth in Florida? Ultimately, there are numerous variables that can affect the outcome of a case or the amount of damages you may receive. We’ll explore some of the more significant factors we see in Pompano Beach dog bite claims below:
- The severity of the injury: The more damage the dog inflicts, the greater the expected settlement in most cases.
- Treatment costs: Dog bite compensation in Florida often reflects the cost of the treatment you received after your injury, which may include surgery or ongoing physical therapy.
- Posted warnings: If the dog’s owner fails to make a good-faith effort to warn other parties about the danger of their dog, it can positively affect your claim.
- Partial negligence: As mentioned before, your recovery amount might be reduced if you are partially responsible for a dog bite. For example, if you walk up to a dog and pet it without checking with the owner, resulting in an injury.
- Bite history: If a dog has a documented history of being aggressive, it can demonstrate that the owner is negligent. This means they failed to use reasonable care to prevent their animal from causing harm.
- Location: Did you have a legal right to be at the location where your dog attack occurred? If not, your recovery could be reduced. However, it’s important to note that not being authorized to be on a dog owner’s property does not always negate a claim.
Insurance
Most dog owners are covered by insurance—more specifically, homeowners or renters liability insurance that covers your medical expenses, lost wages, and so on. The problem is that insurance companies are represented by top defense attorneys who may try to reduce the amount you are entitled to. There are also coverage limits to insurance policies and many exclusions that can affect how much compensation you receive.
Evidence Quality and Witness Support
The type of evidence you collect after a dog bite can influence the value of your claim. To strengthen your case, take photos and videos of your injuries and keep all medical notes and bills. You can also collect testimonies from anyone who witnessed the incident. Doing so can establish what happened and support your version of events.
At Long & Jean, P.A., our Pompano Beach dog bite attorneys will give you a free, no-obligation case review. If you have a viable case, we will represent you on a contingency basis and help you get the maximum amount of dog bite compensation in Florida that you deserve.
Deadlines and Reporting Requirements
In most cases, you have two years from the date of the dog attack to file a claim or bring a lawsuit in the event of negligence on behalf of the dog owner. You have four years to file a lawsuit based on the strict liability statute that relates to dog bites. These dates are known as statutes of limitations.
You should contact an attorney as early as possible after a dog bite. As time goes by, evidence can be lost, witnesses may move to other states, and the dog may become unavailable for examination. Don’t delay getting started.
As a rule, the more severe the injuries are, the longer the case takes. However, there are many other factors that can stretch the timetable of a case, and you may be looking at more than a year before you receive compensation. That’s why working with the right attorney is so important. We can provide your doctors with letters of protection (LOP) so you can receive the medical attention you require without having to pay upfront.
Public Health Snapshot and What Recent Data Says About Claim Costs
According to the Florida Department of Health, children aged 1-9 are at the highest risk of dog bites, with boys in this age group at a higher risk than girls. Moreover, an average of 2 people in Florida die from injuries resulting from dog bites every year. In total, over 600 people are hospitalized due to injuries from these types of incidents.
There are no statistics available on the average claim value for dog bites in Florida. However, depending on the severity of the attack and other factors, compensation may range from tens of thousands of dollars to significantly more in extreme cases.
In the U.S. as a whole, the average cost per claim for a dog bite was $69,272 in 2024. This is an increase of 18.3% from 2023. In total, the average cost per claim increased 86.1% from 2015 to 2024 due to factors such as increased settlement sizes, higher medical costs, and more judgments and jury awards given to plaintiffs.
How the Claims Process Works
When you file an insurance claim over a dog bite, the company will create a claim number for your injuries. If you haven’t already spoken to a dog bite lawyer at this point, you will need to seek representation soon.
Within hours of filing a claim, an insurance adjuster will contact you with an offer to settle. This may seem like a comprehensive payment, but it almost always falls far short of a full and fair settlement. If you accept the settlement, you will have to sign a waiver of liability that prevents you from seeking further damages.
If you haven’t filed a claim, your attorney can file one on your behalf. Once you’ve hired a personal injury lawyer, they will become your point of contact for all matters regarding your case.
Calculating Damages
Your attorney will be responsible for calculating all economic and non-economic damages. They will also examine similar dog bite cases and determine the amount of pain and suffering damages you should be able to collect based on similar settlements.
Demand Letter
Your attorney will present a demand letter to the dog owner’s insurance company. In most cases, the demand letter far exceeds the initial settlement offer by the insurance company. Your personal injury lawyer will negotiate with the adjusters and attorneys until they reach a settlement. If they are unable to close the gap between the settlement offer and demand, the case will go to litigation.
Discovery Evidence
Both parties must share any evidence they discover during their investigation with the other side. For example, if the dog owner has CCTV video covering the incident, they must allow your attorney to review it.
Litigation
Few dog bite cases make it to litigation, even if you insist on filing a lawsuit. However, if your legal team is getting ready to litigate your case, they are also in negotiations with the other side. In the event your case does go to trial, Long & Jean are fierce litigators. Either way, your case is in good hands.
Why Choose Long & Jean, P.A.?
If you’ve been attacked by a dog, you deserve justice. Long & Jean, P.A., has an outstanding track record of obtaining full and fair dog bite compensation in Florida for victims. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
