Woman Recovers $48,137 for Dog Bite
"I thought this case was notable because of her and her courage."
A woman received a bench verdict of $48,137 in Hennepin County District Court for injuries she sustained when, at the age of 80, she was bit by a dog.
On July 19, 2010, Arlene Frances Jacobsen was walking on her favorite path around Richfield Lake near where she lives. A friend of defendant Mark David Jelinek approached her with Jelinek's dogs on retractable leashes, said Jeffrey S. Sieben of Minneapolis, who represented Jacobsen.
One of the two dogs, a Belgian Malinois, jumped on Jacobsen, knocked her to the ground, and bit her leg. The breed of dog is similar to a German shepherd and bred for security purposes. Jelinek's dog wasn't conditioned to do security work, Sieben said.
Jacobsen's legs are scarred from puncture wounds. She's more apprehensive about taking walks on the path that's visible from her condominium, Sieben said.
