Judge awards nurse nearly $61,000 after she was attacked by dog in N.S. home

A judge has ordered a Halifax-area couple to pay nearly $61,000 in damages and $4,000 in court costs after their dog attacked a nurse in their home in 2016.

In a written decision dated Sept. 19, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Christa Brothers ruled that Harvey Hayden and Susan Forest were negligent in failing to control their dog when they knew the nurse would be in their Spryfield, N.S., home.

Lynn Patterson, who at the time worked as a licensed practical nurse for the Victorian Order of Nurses, was attacked by the couple’s valley bulldog during a visit in May 2016.

The judge says Patterson sustained a “significant” bite to her right arm and a bite to her back, resulting in chronic anxiety and panic attacks.

The court document says the couple didn’t appear in court until April of this year — despite being sent a registered letter in 2017 informing them about the legal action.

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Brothers rejected the couple’s arguments that they didn’t know about the lawsuit against them, saying there were repeated attempts to get them to respond.

The judge noted in her ruling that the couple has informed the court that they don’t have the money to pay the damages.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.