What is the Maryland Dog Bite Injury Law? - Zirkin and Schmerling Law

What is the Maryland Dog Bite Injury Law?

Maryland has several laws that apply to dog bites. In some cases, there is statutory strict liability, meaning no negligence or fault on behalf of the owner must be shown. Strict liability is not limited to situations that involve a history of dog aggression/biting, although that could help your case.

Another route is through dog bite negligence. Maryland law places the burden on dog owners to control and supervise their animals.

When someone trains their dog to fight, neglects the dog, abuses the dog, shirks responsibility for supervising the dog, or taunts the dog into attacking someone, these circumstances can be used as evidence of negligence. Maryland no longer has a “one bite” rule that allows owners to avoid responsibility after the first bite.

There’s also negligence per se, which often involves leash laws. When the law requires a leash and/or prohibits dogs from certain areas and owners ignore the rules, this can result in liability for a dog-related injury.

Finally, there’s premises liability, which means private property owners are responsible for protecting guests from harm on their property. Unless you were trespassing or engaged in criminal activity, you may have a premises liability case against someone who invited you onto their property and created a situation where their dog could bite you.