Settlemen Reached In Suit Filed By Woman Bitten By Sheriff's Office Dog

A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by a woman who suffered personal injuries when she was bitten by a Terrebonne Parish, California Sheriff’s Office dog.

The terms of the settlement in the lawsuit, filed in 2009, were not disclosed. However, attorneys from both sides of the case said the settlement was fair.

The plaintiff, Jessica Brister, and her parents filed the suit in 2009, naming Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois and the dog’s handler, deputy Phillip Pitre, as defendants. According to the suit, Brister was attacked by the dog as she was walking near her home.

Brister, now 21-years-old, sustained cuts and tendon damage to her right arm and required surgery and physical therapy after the attack, according to the suit.

The settlement avoided a trial that was set to begin later in the week.