Can I be sued?

Question

We have a fenced in yard and two dogs. A man from the city utilities had to come into our yard the other day to read a meter and one of my dogs bit him. I was not home at the time and didn't know they were coming. Any advice? I feel so horrible and shocked my dog would do this!

I know the man. It's a small town. He stated that in the past when something like this had happened the owner put the dog down....but he didn't want to see that happen again. I don't think he will proceed with charges but I can't help but think it. My dog is protective but not vicious.

Answer 1

Technically, yes, you can be sued. But, it would become evident that it was NOT YOUR FAULT. The utility guys are supposed to check for dogs and not come in if there are dogs.

Most companies do try to give you warning that they will be by. By coming on your property, even to read a meter, technically, he is trespassing.

His company will cover his medical bills (or should). You can offer to cover them, or part of them as a courtesy, if you like. That's up to you.

But it is part of his job that he will encounter dogs and he should know better than to go into a yard with dogs. That is supposed to be part of their training.

What I would do is call the utility company and apologize, let them know that if you had known that they were coming you would have moved the dogs. Offer to reschedule with them. This will help to smooth things over and show that you didn't leave your dogs out on purpose. Ask if they can put a note in your file that you have dogs and will need a notice before meter reading, so that you can move your dogs or be home during the reading.

Most utility companies are good with this situation.

Answer 2

You could be if the guy is an idiot, do you have any beware of dog signs up. If not go get some and phone the city utilities and have them put on your file that you have 2 dogs so the people coming to check your meter know about them. But if the guy was stupid enough to walk into your backyard through the gate without checking for dogs or calling out then it's his own fault.

Answer 3

I had a dog that I didn't want getting sprayed or harmed by meter readers and paid to have a chip installed that could be read from outside the fence. Despite this, meter readers continued to jump the fence and that would be at their own risk! It made me mad though, because it meant my dog would still be at risk of being sprayed or harmed.
Your dog was trying to protect your home and had no way of knowing the meter reader was not an intruder.
Check with the law in your area. Also, check with that utility company about whether they have a chip they can put in your meter to read it from the curb. That would be better than risking this sort of thing happening again.

Answer 4

Some people are so stupid. You should never go into a yard with a dog the way he did. he should have went to the door and if there was no answer the company should have called you . Some companys will ask you if you have dogs and if it is ok to enter the fence, when you start service. All companys should do that. But to be safe I would put up a beware of dog sign. That will protect you from lawsuits if it should happen again.and by rights if you knew your dog was agressive you should have had a sign up.

Answer 5

so, are your two dogs labs? I'm sure that man encounters dogs all the time, like mailmen, except he actually has to enter people's yards. You're not the only one with dogs in the yard. It'd be kind of unusual for that man to enter your yard if your dogs were showing aggression. It's not his fault, but he could have skipped your house and informed you by phone from the office. If you were not home, how do you know your dogs bit him? How do you know he didn't kick your dog first? Now I'm not saying the man lied to you. In any case, if he has medical bills from a dog bite, then you should offer to pay it. Somewhere there should be an official city utilities policy concerning workers entering yards with dogs.

Answer 6

to protect yourself from such things you should have a sign up saying something like "beware of dogs enter at own risk"
if your garden has a 6ft fence up then that legally protects you as warnings are in place and it is not unreasonable to expect a dog to protect its territory.
If no such signs are in place and the perimiters around the garden are all 6ft or more then its a legal case and will be decided by a judge, if you didnt know the bloke was coming, he entered your property, he was aware of there being dogs in the garden and your defense is that he CHOSE to risk it which is essentially what he did, he chose to risk it and he got bitten. I dont think he will get very far if he tried to sue you.
Here in the UK if workmen come out or anyone really it is their right to ask you to remove the dog into the back yard or into a closed room to ensure their safety. This man came into your property uninvited wheras he should have left a note saying he would come back later and then he should have asked you to remove the dogs,,,, he didnt so its his own fault.

Answer 7

I'm pretty sure (i've gotten bitten by a dog before)... that yes you can get sued, unless you put the dog to sleep. If you don't put the dog to sleep you have to pay for the medical expenses (your insurance usually won't cover it otherwise)... and they could sue you.


When I got bit I was like 3 or 4... My mother tells me that they let the dog live, the owner paid for the medical expenses, and I received a settlement that was put in the bank to pay for college.

Also, a year or two after that, the same dog bit another person, and this time the person was forced to put the dog down.

Answer 8

I don't really know but I always thought that they can't sue since the guy was in the DOGS TERRITORY and they were just going by instinct. It's way different when the dogs on the street and attacks someone at random but in the mind of the dog, the man is an "intruder." But nowadays people can sue for ridiculous things.

I heard a story of a man who was inside a womans house robbing her. She woke up and went to see what was going on. He was starteled, fell, sued her and WON!!! He went to jail but got money. I honestly would like to meet that judge.

Answer 9

If you were not home then you don't know exactly what happened. I mean the dog might have only been trying to protect your house and saw that a guy was just coming in and just went into action. Or the guy might have done something to your dog that made him want to bite him.

Answer 10

It depends on what state you live in but where I'm from people are supposed to tell you before hand when and if they are coming to check your meters so if you have an inside meter (like my strange house) then you can let them in. I wish you the best of luck I really hope you don't get into trouble! Maybe send a letter and apologize and offer to pay the doctor bill?