Legal Question in Personal Injury in Illinois

My neighbor is the custodian of a pit bull and recently the dog attacked my do. The dog was left unattended in the backyard of where we reside. Due to her negligence the village of skokie cited/fined her 200.00 for negligence. Since this occurance the neighbor has threaten me and my family . She has sent a threat letter in my mail box. This was reported but nothing has been done. My question is do i have grounds to sue this person even if they are not the owners of the dog? I would like to be compensated for the medical bills that I incurred and the one day I took of work. Please let me know. I can be contacted at 1-773-671-7463 or [email protected]


Asked on 2/10/11, 2:33 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Mark Hartzer

If your neighbor's dog caused injury to your dog, and it was not provoked, generally the law provides that the dog's owner is responsible for reasonable vet bills that were incurred by you. A dog is considered personal property, and if your neighbor damaged your personal property through their negligence, then they are liable under Illinois law. I recommend you file a claim with your neighbor's homeowner insurance as they will investigate the claim. It's possible the Skokie PD took down that information in their report. If you have your own pet insurance, depending on the policy, you may be covered for the vet bills. Good luck.

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Answered on 2/13/11, 4:14 pm


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