Pearos were not yet home but had told the Floreses that the door would be open so they could wait
inside. Based on previous visits, Antonio Flores assumed the Pearos’ three dogs would be near
the front door, so the family decided to go in through the side door. The Floreses’ son opened the
side door. Without warning, the Pearos’ three dogs ran out of the house. Mr. Flores called to the
dogs to try to get them back inside.
¶ 3. At that moment, plaintiff Eric Gross was walking his dog down the sidewalk near
the Pearos’ home. The Pearos’ three dogs ran over and attacked his dog. One of the dogs grabbed
plaintiff’s hand, which was covered by a glove, and pulled on his arm, dislocating his shoulder.
¶ 4. The Pearos leased their residence in October 2015 from defendant Elizabeth
Turner, who lives in New York. When Turner rented the property to the Pearos, she was aware
they had three pet dogs and permitted them to keep the dogs at the property. She was not aware
of any prior incidents involving the dogs at the time the lease was signed. She had known the
Pearos and their dogs for several years and had not observed any of the dogs to have aggressive
tendencies. For this reason, she did not make any inquiries about the dogs or their temperament
before renting to the Pearos.
¶ 5. Antonio Flores testified in a deposition that he had allowed the Pearos’ dogs to be
around his six- and seven-year-old children and they had never posed a threat to the children. He
said that he would not have brought his children to the house or allowed them to go near the door
if he felt the dogs were vicious. He described Buck, the largest dog, as “hyper,” with high energy,
but not aggressive. Jedi, the oldest and smallest dog, growled on occasion if someone got too close