Partner
Mark J. Miller
Mark's biography describes work in insurance defense and prosecution before his plaintiff-side practice. That background informs the firm's evaluation of liability disputes and insurance positions.
Understanding the owner-liability claim
Broward County Dog Bite Lawyers
A dog bite claim in Broward County can raise different questions about ownership, lawful presence, and insurance. Miller & Jacobs reviews the incident under Florida's bite statute and any other supported legal theory. We distinguish the statutory claim from negligence or non-bite injuries so the advice fits the event and the correct legal calendar.
Your consultation is free. No attorney fee is owed unless compensation is recovered for you. The written fee agreement explains fees and costs.
$300M+
Reported Recoveries for Injured Clients
50+ Years
Combined Legal Experience
230+
Combined Jury Trials Across Their Careers
Former Prosecutors
Experienced Trial Attorneys
Which legal theory?
A bite and a non-bite injury need different review.
Florida section 767.04 generally makes an owner liable for a qualifying bite regardless of former viciousness or knowledge. It does not automatically answer every injury involving a dog or every claim against someone other than the owner.
The owner and the location
The statute covers bites in public or when the person is lawfully on private property. Invitations and lawful duties may matter. Ownership should be identified accurately; a handler, landlord, or business may raise separate questions requiring a different legal basis.
The statutory defenses
Causally contributing negligence by the bitten person reduces the owner's liability proportionately. The Bad Dog sign exception has specific requirements and limits involving children under six and negligent owner conduct. Preserve the actual facts rather than assume either defense always decides the case.
Other causes of injury
A chase, knockdown, or claim concerning another person's negligent conduct may involve a different theory. Explain the mechanism, participants, and location. The defenses and deadlines for that theory should be checked separately from the statutory owner-liability bite claim.
A free consultation
Get the facts and the legal route reviewed.
Call 954-465-8733 for a free consultation about the dog, location, owner information, treatment, and insurer requests. The written fee agreement explains fees and costs if the firm accepts the matter.
Supporting the incident
Keep identity, circumstances, and care connected.
Appropriate medical care and safety come first. Existing records can help establish the event while a lawyer evaluates material held by others. Do not approach an unsafe animal, trespass, or guess at details to complete a checklist.
Identity and witnesses
Retain owner and handler information when available, the dog's description, and witness contacts. Save relevant messages and original images. If ownership is disputed, report and other records may provide leads, but no single document necessarily settles every legal role.
Reports and the setting
Report the bite to the appropriate animal-control or health authority and keep the reference number. Broward County Animal Care is an official starting point for local animal services. Also record invitations, signs, and the exact area of the incident.
Treatment and later effects
Save provider names, bills, instructions, work restrictions, and accurate photographs of visible healing. Keep the record connected if care continues elsewhere. Clinicians should guide medical decisions; the legal claim should reflect supported injury and prognosis.
An individual injury, not a formula
The claim should reflect how healing develops.
Keep records of follow-up care, restrictions, and visible changes. Pain, scarring, functional limitations, and emotional effects can differ substantially between people. Future care needs should be supported by clinicians rather than predicted from a photograph or the number of stitches.
Explain missed work and changes to ordinary activity with concrete examples. Save necessary expense records. The legal assessment should separate supported loss, available coverage, and the evidence of responsibility instead of treating every bite as having a standard value.
Insurance and recovery
Liability does not guarantee an available policy.
An owner may be legally responsible while coverage remains disputed or unavailable. A policy may also contain limits or exclusions. We assess the contract questions and the supported losses separately so neither is mistaken for the other.
The potential insurance
Homeowner, renter, or other liability coverage may be relevant. Save insurer correspondence, claim numbers, and any offered policy information. A denial deserves review, but the firm cannot promise that an excluded incident will be covered or that a policy will pay the full loss.
Medical and personal losses
Supported expenses, pain, scarring, and impairment may form part of a claim under the applicable law. Future treatment needs require evidence. The legal assessment should distinguish documented consequences from possible procedures or symptoms that have not been medically evaluated.
Income and reimbursement
Keep earnings records and necessary expenses. Insurance payments, liens, or reimbursement claims can affect the net amount available from a resolution. A gross offer is not always the amount the injured person receives after the required deductions and agreement terms.
Next steps and deadlines
Select the claim before selecting the deadline.
Our Broward County injury overview gives wider context. The dog incident still requires specific review of the defendant, mechanism, and legal basis, especially when several theories or a child's claim may be involved.
Identify the applicable route
The bite statute, negligence, and other supported claims may differ. Do not automatically apply ordinary-negligence defenses or a single fault threshold to the statutory bite claim. A careful review should identify the rule governing each asserted cause of action.
Check filing and preservation
Statutory-liability and negligence actions can have different periods under section 95.11. Specific circumstances and exceptions need review. A lengthy healing process does not by itself extend a filing period, and records may disappear before any deadline expires.
Review the proposed resolution
An offer should be considered with its release, prognosis, coverage, and any required approval. A child's settlement may raise additional safeguards. A consultation can identify gaps and practical options without assigning a guaranteed value to the claim.
Miller & Jacobs
The partners serving Broward County.
Partners Mark J. Miller and Rick S. Jacobs serve Broward County clients from the firm's Pompano Beach office. Your consultation can address the evidence, the applicable claim, and the decisions ahead.
Partner
Rick S. Jacobs
Rick's biography describes his service as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County and his trial work. Read the published background for details of his professional experience.
Our South Florida office is at 1600 S Federal Highway, Suite 1101, Pompano Beach, FL 33062. Call 954-465-8733 before visiting.
Your questions
Broward County dog bite claim questions
What does strict liability mean for a Florida dog bite?
For a qualifying claim against the owner under section 767.04, liability does not depend on proving a prior bite or the owner's knowledge of viciousness. The statute still has conditions, proportional reduction for causal negligence, and exceptions. It is not a guarantee of insurance or recovery.
Does the ordinary negligence 50% rule automatically apply?
Do not assume it governs every statutory bite claim. Section 767.04 contains its own proportional-reduction rule for the bitten person's causal negligence. A separate negligence cause of action may require a different analysis. The legal theory should be identified before applying a fault rule.
Can a sign prevent recovery?
The statute provides a Bad Dog sign exception with specific requirements and important limits, including circumstances involving children under six or negligent owner conduct. The wording, readability, location, and facts should be reviewed. A sign does not automatically resolve every possible theory.
Does an animal-control report establish civil liability?
It can preserve useful identity and incident information, but the civil claim still requires the applicable legal analysis. Animal-control proceedings and insurance review have different purposes. Keep the reference number and available report while preserving other evidence of the event.
Is there one filing deadline for all dog injuries?
No blanket period should be assumed. Statutory-liability and negligence actions can have different deadlines, and the facts and parties may raise additional issues. A non-bite injury may require another theory. Ask about the correct calendar while evidence and treatment records are developing.
Can I call before the owner's insurer responds?
Yes. An initial consultation can review the incident, available identity information, treatment, and preservation needs while an insurance response is pending. Call 954-465-8733. The consultation is free, and acceptance of representation depends on the firm's assessment.
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