New Jersey Dog Bite Statute

According to New Jersey law, the owner of a dog can be held responsible for injuries suffered when that dog bites another person. In order for a owner to be held financially responsible, the injured person must have either been bitten in a public area or while lawfully on private property. A dog’s owner is held strictly responsible for any injuries suffered, even if the dog is not a vicious breed or has never bitten anyone before. When a dog’s owner is strictly liable, the owner must pay for the victim’s injuries, even if the owner had no reason to know the dog was vicious or if the victim did something to taunt the dog.

Who Is an “Owner” of a Dog?

The New Jersey law holding dog owners responsible for injuries suffered when their dog bites another person does not specifically define who “owns” a dog. While New Jersey courts have held that a co-tenant or roommate is liable for dog bite injuries, courts have held that a landlord is not considered to be the “owner” of his tenant’s dog.

Landlord Responsibility

If a landlord’s only connection to a dog involved in a bite case is that the landlord’s tenant owned the dog, the landlord will not be held strictly liable. Additionally, a landlord will not be held responsible generally unless the landlord had some reason to know that the dog was vicious and failed to take any steps to minimize the danger. However, a landlord will also be held liable for a dog bite injury if the landlord knew the tenant’s dog had bitten people before and failed to do anything about it, such as putting up a fence or demanding that the tenant get rid of the dog.

Damages in Dog Bite Cases

Under New Jersey law, a tenant or landlord responsible for a dog bite victim’s injuries may be required to pay for a wide variety of losses suffered by the victim. Compensable losses include medical bills incurred by the victim and any income the victim did not earn because she needed to obtain medical treatment. For serious dog bite injuries, the victim may also be entitled to compensation for future medical bills, future loss of earning capacity, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment for activities she is no longer able to do.