Emily Moncur had already snapped images of greater than a dozen canines at OC Animal Care, a shelter in Tustin the place she was volunteering, when she got here to Blaze, a black-and-white Labrador retriever and beagle combine.
Moncur retrieved Blaze, snapped his picture, after which tried to return him to his kennel, when he attacked her, in keeping with a lawsuit she filed final 12 months over the August 2023 incident.
Now, Orange County has agreed to pay Moncur $450,000 to settle the lawsuit that alleges negligence on the facility.
Moncur sustained a minimum of 18 bites throughout her physique, on her arms, legs, buttocks and neck as she was pinned to the door of the kennel and suffered “extreme and everlasting accidents,” her go well with mentioned.
The lawsuit mentioned the shelter didn’t alert Moncur that the canine had a identified historical past of aggression because of the cruelty of earlier house owners.
The criticism alleged that Moncur’s accidents have been better as a result of volunteers have been advised to deal with canines and full duties alone with out prior coaching; and due to restricted staffing nobody was within the close by neighborhood who may reply to an emergency.
Workers on the facility didn’t hear her screaming throughout her wrestle with the canine as a result of they have been inspired to put on earplugs at work, in keeping with the criticism.
The county had beforehand pushed again towards Moncur’s allegations, writing in a December court docket submitting that every one shelter staff acted correctly and that any of Moncur’s accidents have been because of her personal “wrongful acts.”
“Plaintiff willingly, voluntarily, and knowingly assumed every, each, and all of the dangers and hazards concerned within the actions referred to,” the submitting mentioned.
However throughout a March 10 closed-door session, the Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously authorised the proposed settlement of $450,000, in keeping with revealed assembly minutes. Discover of settlement papers have been filed in mid-April with Orange County Superior Court docket.
Moncur advised the Orange County Register that she suffers from nerve harm in addition to seen scars.
“The canine that attacked me was a part of a cruelty case the place he was severely abused by his proprietor and her household, which was not disclosed to volunteers,” Moncur mentioned in an announcement to the information outlet. “He was quick tracked for adoption, exposing not solely volunteers but in addition the general public to this harmful canine by that includes him at an adoption occasion two days previous to him attacking me.”
