King County to pay jogger mauled by dogs $21.5M

King County has agreed to pay $21.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by a jogger who was critically wounded by two dogs linked to a house that neighbors had repeatedly complained about.

“The conclusion of this case allows our family to put this trauma behind us and heal,” Gyongyi Maas said in a statement through Stritmatter Law.

Attorney Gemma Zanowski said the animals attacked Maas as she was jogging on a public street in her neighborhood in February 2022.

“The dogs came from behind her and took her down to the ground,” Zanowski told KIRO Newsradio.

She said the wounds the 38-year-old mother of two suffered were horrific.

“They [the dogs] broke bones in both of her arms, they bit off most of her ear, they lacerated her head, her torso, and a muscle was torn from her leg,” Zanowski said.

A King County deputy, who arrived on the scene, shot and killed one of the dogs. The second dog was impounded by Regional Animal Services.

Neighbors thought they ‘were watching somebody die’ in King County dog attack

Neighbors had tried but could not stop the attack.

“The testimony from the neighbors—what they recounted, was—we thought we were watching somebody die,” Zanowski said.

And there’s evidence the county had been warned about the danger.

“People in our neighborhood are getting really upset,” Kristin Purvis told KIRO 7.

She said shortly after the attack, neighbors had repeatedly complained to the county about a home on 45th Place South in unincorporated Auburn. They said squatters, with aggressive and dangerous dogs, had moved into the home.

“What is it going to have to take to wake up and get these people out of this house!” Purvis asked.

Neighbors make more than 75 calls to King County officials

Stritmatter Law said starting in at least 2018, neighbors made more than 75 calls to various county offices, including animal care services, code enforcement, and the sheriff’s office.

The lawsuit claimed that about a year before the attack, the county impounded but then improperly released the dogs that had been living on the property. The suit noted the county did not pursue criminal charges against the dogs’ owners.

Zanowski said Stritmatter Law attempted to find the owners. One could not be located. The second, who is homeless, expressed remorse over what happened.

Maas has undergone more than 20 surgeries and continues to recover.

“She definitely still struggles. Things are not the same for her, but I think she’s doing as well as anybody could be doing that has gone through this type of horrific event,” Zanowski said.

The condition of the King County property near the time of the dog attack. (Photo courtesy of Stritmatter Law)

Property owner agrees to sell house

Maas is also pleased that, as part of the settlement, the property owner has agreed to sell the house, linked to the aggressive dogs.

“While I was gravely injured, there are many other people in this neighborhood who needlessly suffered by the conditions allowed to exist at this house for so many years,” Maas stated.

She said she hopes it prompts the county to change policies and procedures, “and act with a higher sense of urgency when faced with multiple warning signs of a threat to the safety of a community so someone else doesn’t needlessly experience similar trauma.”

In August 2023, King County strengthened its requirements for owners of dogs deemed to be dangerous.

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