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Cesar Millan's pit bull Junior alleged to have killed Queen Latifah’s dog, attacked gymnast

'Junior possessed vicious and dangerous propensities and was inclined to attack, bite, maul, maim...' the lawsuit claimed

LOS ANGELES: A young gymnast has filed a lawsuit against 'Dog Whisperer' star Cesar Millan alleging that his pit bull attacked her, a "former star gymnast" which left her unable to compete. Lidia Matiss also claimed that the dog mauled Queen Latifah’s pooch to death and that Millan tried to cover it up.

In the lawsuit obtained by the Daily News, Matiss said the dog had a history of violence but was allowed to freely roam the halls of a Los Angeles office building owned by Millan, who was also her mother’s boss.

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The lawsuit 

According to TMZ, Matiss alleged that the dog attacked her in 2017 when she was visiting her mom in the office. At the time, she was performing at the highest level in the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympics Program. She said in the lawsuit that she encountered the dog roaming the hallway without a leash and was repeatedly bitten on her legs. 

This, she said, left her with serious injuries, physical and emotional pain as well as "embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, disgrace, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life," according to the lawsuit. Additionally, Matiss said that she could no longer compete in gymnastics after the attack.

In the lawsuit, Matiss said that Millan was very well aware of the fact that Junior was in the building and "got loose, escaped, and/or was permitted to roam around” before and during the attack. He, she said, also had knowledge of "the viciousness and dangerousness of Junior and of its inclinations." As per the publication, the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages to "punish and/ or make an example out of" Millan, who should have been especially careful with his dogs because of his "sophisticated" knowledge of the four-legged pets. 

"Junior possessed vicious and dangerous propensities and was inclined to attack, bite, maul, maim, and disfigure people and other animals in its vicinity," the lawsuit claimed. As per reports, the dog died in July at the age of 15. On Millan’s website, he describes Junior as "calm, confident, and very well-traveled".

Alleged cover-up

Among the many incidents of the pit bull's violent tendencies cited in the complaint, a particular one involved one of two dogs Latifah had brought to Millan’s Dog Psychology Center — a dog-training facility that is popular among celebrities in Santa Clarita, California. Apparently, Junior mauled one of those dogs to death. 

Millan, however, directed his staff to tell Latifah that the animal had been struck by a car, according to the lawsuit. His lawyers said that he was not aware of the incident and is not responsible for Junior’s attack on Matiss. They state that she knew of the danger and assumed the risk of being bitten, according to a formal response to the accusations. The document also accuses the plaintiff of negligence and fraud.

Outrage

On social media, many people are calling Millan out for faking his expertise. "What a fraud! So this 'dog whisperer' Milan is happily spreading misinformation about pitbulls being safe just to boost his business," one user commented on the Reddit sub BanPitBulls. 

Along similar lines, one user wrote on Twitter, "What do all you pit-bull defending "it's the owner, not the breed" people have to say about the friggin' DOG WHISPERER HIMSELF's pitbull biting a girl, and killing a dog? Hmm? *maybe*, it's the breed."

Another user tweeted, "As a trainer myself, I've known this guy was a total, show business fraud. He just confirmed it for all to see."