Oklahoma Dog Bite Lawyer

Oklahoma’s dog bite statute, Okla. Stat. § 4-42.1, imposes strict liability upon dog owners. This means that the owner can be held strictly liable for any damages resulting from their dog biting a person in a place where the person had a lawful right to be. The owner will not be held liable if the victim was either provoking the dog or trespassing at the time of the bite. This statute does not require victims to specifically prove that the owner was at fault. Victims may also pursue a negligence claim to hold an owner liable. In order to establish a negligence claim, the victim must prove that the owner owed them a duty (here, a duty to exercise reasonable care in controlling the dog), the owner breached that duty, and their injuries were proximately caused by this breach.