A pit bull once owned by canine trainer Cesar Millan mauled one of Queen Latifah’s pets to death, and the reality TV star tried to cover up the attack by instructing his staff to tell the actress that her dog was hit by a car, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
The alleged incident is one of the more shocking revelations cited in the legal action against the “Dog Whisperer” star, brought in California by a former gymnast who claims the same dog attacked her in 2017 and ruined her career, TMZ reported.
Lidia Matiss accuses the 52-year-old Millan of negligence and fraud in connection with a series of aggressions by the dog and seeks unspecified monetary damages to “punish and/or make an example out of” the famous trainer.
Matiss, whose mother once worked for Millan, said the dog named Junior had a history of violence but was still allowed to roam Millan’s office in Los Angeles unattended, TMZ reported.
Matiss said she went to the building four years ago to visit her mom when the dog allegedly attacked.
Matiss, who once competed in USA Gymnastics Junior Olympics programs, said she has been unable to participate in gymnastics since the dog mauled her legs, leaving her with severe injuries, “embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, disgrace, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life,” the lawsuit states, according to TMZ.
The suit also claims Millan was aware that the dog often “got loose, escaped, and/or was permitted to roam around” before the attack occurred, and that the trainer knew the dog’s potential for “viciousness and dangerousness ...”
“Junior possessed vicious and dangerous propensities and was inclined to attack, bite, maul, maim, and disfigure people and other animals in its vicinity,” the lawsuit states.
Credit: Social media photo via Twitter
Credit: Social media photo via Twitter
The dog showed a pattern of aggression, according to the lawsuit, including the incident involving Queen Latifah, who brought her two dogs to Millan’s Dog Psychology Center, a training facility for pets of the rich and famous in Santa Clarita, California.
Matiss alleges in the lawsuit that Junior mauled one of the dogs to death and then concocted a story that the actor’s beloved pet had been hit and killed by a passing car.
A Twitter post by Queen Latifah from January 2018 shows a photo of the actress with Millan at the facility, where she wrote: “Had my first training session for my new babies with @cesarmillan! Already learning So much!!!”
Latifah has never filed a legal action against Millan, nor has she publicly made any claims about the alleged incident.
In a formal response to the accusations by Matiss, lawyers for Millan argue that he was not responsible for the attack on Matiss because the plaintiff was aware of the danger and assumed the risk of being bitten, TMZ reported.
In 2015, a Florida nurse said she also suffered severe injuries after a pit bull trained by Millan attacked her.
Junior died at age 15 this past July, the New York Daily News reported. A biography on Millan’s website describes Junior as “calm, confident, and very well-traveled.”
Millan’s popular show “Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan,” aired from 2004 to 2012.
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