District of Columbia  |  Civil Litigation

If your neighbor approaches with a reasonable bill, you may consider paying it in the context of having a written settlement agreement in which you expressly deny any responsibility and deny that your dog bit the person, and expressly state that the payment is simply to avoid the cost of litigation etc. That way you can take the least expensive and disruptive way out of the situation and still not "label" your dog as a "biter" as you put it.

You should have a lawyer prepare such agreement for you.

It may be that a couple of hundred dollars for medical bills and a couple of hundred for an attorney to draft a settlemend agreement will be cheaper in the long run (in terms of time, aggravation, missed work, and neighborly relationships) than denying everything and winding up in court.

You may want to review your homeowner's policy to determine what, if any, coverage you have for this as well. If your neighbor comes to you with a serious injury and bill, you will want to make sure that you immediately contact your carrier and let them know that you are making a claim (...and....if they deny the claim and tell you that the policy does not cover this incident you absolutely need to have your policy reviewed by an attorney. Insurance companies deny claims all the time when in fact a good attorney can get find ways to get coverage).

I think I would wait to do anything until I saw proof of the injury (at least a picture) and/or received a dated doctor's invoice. You witnessed the incident and would know better than me. I would not admit that my dog did something I was unsure he did. Of course, if she was injured it would be better to just settle it among yourselves, as counsel above recommends.