Landlord not liable for dog attack, high court rules

Tenant suffered serious injury, but landlord had no knowledge of Rottweiler's temperament

An Aberdeen landlord whose tenant suffered a serious injury from a dog bite is not liable for the attack, the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled.

Kevin Davies, a tenant in a six-unit apartment complex in Aberdeen, filed suit against the owner of the building, GPHC, after a fellow tenant’s Rottweiler bit his hand. Davies filed suit against GPHC, arguing that the landlord was responsible for the dog and therefore negligent in the attack.