Oregon Lawsuit Alleges Emotional Support Dog Mauled Girl at Airport

February 28, 2019

The mother of a 5-year-old girl mauled by a pit bull at Portland International Airport has filed a $1.1 million lawsuit against the Port of Portland for allegedly letting a dangerous “emotional support animal” into the airport without a carrier.

The Oregonian/Oregonian reported the lawsuit filed by Mirna Gonzalez lists two other defendants: the dog’s owner, Michelle Brannan, and Alaska Airlines.

The suit claims Brannan should have known that her dog had “vicious propensities.”

The suit says the airline is at fault for allegedly allowing Brannan to bring a dangerous dog into the gate waiting area, where the attack happened, when the dog wasn’t a trained service animal and wasn’t properly confined.

Brannan couldn’t be reached for comment. Alaska Airlines declined comment, citing pending litigation.

Port of Portland spokeswoman Kama Simonds declined comment on the specifics of the case.

Topics Lawsuits Aviation Oregon

Was this article valuable?

Here are more articles you may enjoy.

Latest Comments

  • March 1, 2019 at 8:26 am
    Vox says:
    Look, you'll get sued if you keep the animal out and you'll be sued if you let the animal in. The ADA all but prohibits enquiring about the "disability", therefore anybody can... read more
  • February 28, 2019 at 3:50 pm
    Jack King says:
    Not only that, but did you ever look at the rules and laws if you didn't want to allow a service animal or emotional support animal onto your premises? Something has got to gi... read more
  • February 28, 2019 at 3:35 pm
    Sarah says:
    Any animal that is not a true certified service animal should not be allowed to be unconfined for this reason. Actual certified service animals should be allowed to do their j... read more

Add a CommentSee All Comments (4)Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

More News
More News Features