Dog owner, homeowner sued after dog mauls child in Independence
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- Lawsuit filed after pit bull-mix mauls 5-year-old girl in Independence yard.
- Plaintiff claims prior dog attacks and citations show negligence by defendants.
- Child left in permanent vegetative state; mother seeks damages for medical care.
The mother of a young girl who was mauled last fall in Independence has sued the dog’s owner and the owner of the home where the dog was staying, according to court documents.
Lili Mahan of Independence filed the lawsuit on behalf of her daughter against Stephania Detillier-Cooper of Lake Lotawana and Talia L. Detillier of Independence, claiming the mother and daughter were negligent and should have known the dog was vicious and had a tendency to be dangerous.
Mahan also contends Detillier is strictly liable for the mauling as the owner of the dog.
Mahan seeks an unspecified amount of damages for past and future medical costs, and for economic and non-economic losses.
Girl mauled by dog as she played in the backyard
The lawsuit is centered around the Oct. 8, 2024, mauling of the girl. .
The dog attack occurred shortly after 10 a.m. as the girl, who was 5 at the time, was playing in the backyard of her home in the 19000 block of East R.D. Mize Road.
The dog, a pit bull-mixed breed, jumped the fence from its yard in the 19000 block of East 30th Terrace and attacked the girl, according to the suit.
During the mauling, the girl received lacerations to her face, left anterior chest and right neck, according to the lawsuit. The attack caused a displaced fracture of her clavicle, a tear in the left carotid artery, a partial block to the right vertebral artery, cardiac arrest and an ischemic stroke.
As a result of the attack, the girl is in a “permanent vegetative state with no prognosis for recovery,” according to the lawsuit.
Previously cited for dog’s behavior
According to the lawsuit, Detillier-Cooper is the owner of the home where the dog lived, and her daughter was the owner of the dog.
The dog was classified as a potentially aggressive breed, the lawsuit contends.
There were at least two prior incidents where the dog bit someone, and Detillier was previously cited for the dog’s behavior, the lawsuit contends.
The mother and daughter were obligated to exercise reasonable care to prevent harm to the girl because of the dog’s vicious and dangerous tendencies, the lawsuit contends.
They, however, negligently breached that duty when they allowed a dangerous dog on the property, failed to control and restrain the dog and failed to warn of the dangers, and that negligence led to the mauling, the lawsuit contends.
Neither Detillier-Cooper nor Detillier could be reached for comment Thursday.
Pleading guilty after dog attack
According to court records, Talia Detillier-Heaton was cited in the October mauling for failing to keep the black and white dog, named Dolo, restrained at all times and for having a dog that demonstrated vicious behavior by attacking and severely injuring the girl.
She pleaded guilty in January and was fined $264.50, plus court costs, for failing to restrain the dog at all times. The fine was waived for having a vicious dog.
Court records show that in February, Detillier-Heaton was cited for failing to keep a mixed-breed dog, named Daisy, restrained at all times. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 days in jail, but was granted a suspended execution of sentence and placed on probation for a year. She was also fined $214.50 plus court costs.
She has been ordered to appear in Independence Municipal Court on July 22 for an alleged violation of probation.
