Pierce County filed notice Wednesday that it intends to appeal a recent jury verdict that awarded $2.2 million to a Gig Harbor woman mauled by pit bulls four years ago.
The jury earlier this month assigned 42 percent of the blame for the attack to the county. That equates to monetary damages of more than $920,000.
Sue Gorman’s attorneys argued at trial the county was negligent for not taking enough action against the owners of one of the animals that attacked Gorman, despite multiple complaints from her and her neighbors.
The jury assigned 52 percent of the blame for the attack to that dog’s owners, Shellie Wilson and her son, Zachary Martin. It assigned 5 percent of the blame to the second dog’s owner and 1 percent to Gorman.
Wilson and Martin were looking after the second dog at the time of the attack.
County risk manager Mark Maenhout said Wednesday the county will appeal because its animal control officers “acted reasonably given the information available to them and because the law in our state does not make local governments liable for the carelessness of dog owners merely because cities and counties have regulatory authority over dogs.”
Maenhout disputed the number of complaints received by animal control about Wilson and Martin’s dogs. He added the county is sympathetic to Gorman but “financial responsibility for roaming dogs lies with their owners, not Pierce County taxpayers.”
Gorman was mauled after she woke up and found the two pit bulls in her bedroom, attacking her service dog and a neighbor’s Jack Russell terrier. She had left her sliding-glass door open so the two smaller animals could come and go from her house.
Gorman was bitten repeatedly when she tried to pull the pit bulls off the other dogs. Romeo, the Jack Russell terrier, died in the attack, and the two pit bulls later were euthanized after their owners surrendered them to animal control.
Gorman’s service animal, Misty, survived.
Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644 adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
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