In general, if your dog bites or attacks someone, you hold the responsibility. The victim can file a lawsuit against you, and the court will likely rule in his or her favor, making you liable for any expenses and other damages of that person.
However, according to the Connecticut General Assembly, there are a few exceptions in which you would not be liable for your dog biting someone.
Treatment of your dog
The law does provide an exception to the general liability rule if the victim was teasing or taunting your dog. The idea is that someone who is acting in this way is tormenting the dog and causing it stress that would naturally result in the dog trying to defend itself. The exception also includes abuse, such as someone kicking or hitting your dog.
Do note that the courts have determined that playing with a dog, even if the victim does not have permission to do so, is not tormenting or teasing under the law.
Illegal activity
Another exception to the general liability rule is if the victim is someone trespassing on your property or committing some other crime when your dog bites him or her. It is important to distinguish that trespassing in this context requires more action than simply coming onto your property.
There needs to be an element of crime in place for this exception to apply. For example, if someone wanders onto your property by accident, this is generally trespassing, but since the person has no intent to do anything nefarious, it isn’t trespassing in this case. You would still be liable for a dog bite.
