A new lawsuit against dog trainer Cesar Millan claims that his pitbull terrier mauled Queen Latifah’s dog to death. The suit also claims that Milan tried to cover up the incident by telling Latifah that her dog was hit by a car.
The lawsuit was filed by gymnast Lidia Matiss. Matiss claims her mother worked for Milan, and she was mauled while visiting her mom at work back in 2017 in Van Nuys, Calif.
Milan was known for his television show about dog training called Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. The show aired from 2004 until 2012.
The gymnast said that Millan’s dog, Junior, was unleashed and loose in the hallways without supervision when he bit her legs and calf, sending Matiss to the emergency room. Unfortunately, her injuries kept the gymnast, who was being recruited by the University of Pennsylvania, from competing. Her lawyers Brian M. Adesman and Omar G. Qureshi contend that Milan knew his dog had a history of biting and still allowed his dog to roam.
“Junior possessed vicious and dangerous propensities and was inclined to attack, bite, maul, maim, and disfigure people and other animals in its vicinity,”
The suit also claims that after Junior mauled Queen Latifah’s dog to death, Millan’s staff was directed to tell her that her dog died after being hit by a car. Latifah never publicly spoke of the incident and has not commented on the lawsuit.
Had my first training session for my new babies with @cesarmillan! Already learning So much!!! pic.twitter.com/jM0LcdJshB
— Queen Latifah (@IAMQUEENLATIFAH) January 14, 2018
Matiss claims that she was disfigured wounded and still suffers from emotional and physical pain due to the dog bites. Millan claims that Matiss knew the risks of being bitten. Alison Bitney, a nurse in Florida, also sued the trainer in 2015 after another dog of Millan’s, Gus, attacked her.
Junior died in July at the age of 15. The lawsuit is ongoing.
