Pit Bull Attack Lawsuit Ends in $78K Verdict in CT

Case Background

On the morning of November 11, 2022, Timothy Lowell drove to a property at 30 Cross Drive in East Hartford to pick up his co-worker, Casey Harvey, for work. Lowell expected Harvey to be waiting outside, but when he didn’t appear, Lowell called him. As Lowell walked toward the house, the front door suddenly swung open and a pit bull named Archer charged through it. The dog lunged at Lowell, bit him, and caused serious injuries. The property, owned by the estate of William Belch, had been under the control of Patricia Biddle, who served as the executrix of the estate and also lived there.

Lowell filed a lawsuit against Biddle—both in her personal capacity and as executor of the estate—as well as against Harvey. He alleged strict liability under Connecticut's dog bite statute, negligence, and recklessness. The case proceeded to a jury trial in April 2025.

Cause that led to the events

The Plaintiff alleged that both Patricia Biddle and Casey Harvey were owners or keepers of the dog. He claimed that they had known about the dog’s violent tendencies before the attack, yet failed to restrain it or follow local animal control restrictions. The lawsuit pointed to prior incidents of aggression involving the dog and accused the Defendants of recklessly disregarding warnings, including official orders from East Hartford Animal Control that required Archer to be muzzled and leashed when around others.

Injuri