A lawsuit filed by a former “star gymnast” accuses Dog Whisperer star César Millan’s pitbull of attacking her and claimed the dog had attacked before, and mauled actress Queen Latifah’s dog to death.
The suit has alleged that Millan covered up the dog’s death by claiming it had been hit by a car while at his facility. The reality star, who recently launched his new show César Millan: Better Human Better Dog, has pushed back against the suit’s claims.
César Millan made himself a household name by proving that no dog was too tough for him to rehabilitate, and no human too much trouble to train, but now he’s got problems with both species thanks to a new lawsuit.
The Dog Whisperer star has been hit with a bombshell lawsuit after a “star gymnast,” Lidia Matiss, was attacked by his dog, Junior. TMZ acquired the legal documents that reveal the whole sordid mess.
The alleged attack took place in 2017 at Millan’s LA office where the plaintiff’s mother worked. Matiss was a USA Gymnastics Junior Olympics Programs athlete who at that time performed at the top level.
She allegedly saw the dog running down a hallway and noticed that it wasn’t accompanied or on a leash. According to the lawsuit, Matiss was bitten on the legs by the pitbull dog. The filing went on to note that the dog had been involved in other acts of violence, including a reported attack against The Equalizer star Queen Latifah’s dog.
The lawsuit states that Latifah’s dog had come to Millan’s Dog Psychology Center in Santa Clarita, California, apparently for training. Junior allegedly attacked Junior’s dog so brutally that it died soon afterward. Millan, instead of apologizing for the attack, allegedly told staff to lie about the incident to Latifah, telling her that the dog was hit by a car.
In a somewhat surprising move, Millan didn’t argue that Junior wasn’t dangerous but rather blamed Matiss for the alleged attack. The reality star responded to the suit by claiming Matiss was aware of how dangerous Junior was and she’d assumed the risk of being bitten. He also claimed she was negligent, though the court documents didn’t explain in what way.
Junior recently passed away at the age of 15, leading to Millan grieving the death of his “best friend” on Instagram. Matiss is now suing for unspecified damages. She claims that Junior’s bites left her disfigured, and she still suffers from emotional and physical pain.
At the time of the alleged attack, she’d also been courted by the University of Pennsylvania thanks to her gymnastics skills, but that was all put to an end after her injuries reportedly ended her gymnastics career. We will continue to monitor developments in the case.