(Oregon Live)
Aimee Green Feb 26, 5:25 PM
The mother of a 5-year-old girl mauled in the face by a pit bull at Portland International Airport has filed a $1.1 million lawsuit against the Port of Portland for allegedly letting a dangerous “emotional support animal” into the airport without a carrier.
The lawsuit lists two other defendants: the dog’s owner, Michelle Brannan, and Alaska Airlines. The suit claims Brannan should have known that her dog had “vicious propensities.” The suit says the airline is at fault for allegedly allowing Brannan to bring a dangerous dog into the gate waiting area, where the attack happened, when the dog wasn’t a trained service animal and wasn’t properly confined.
Mirna Gonzalez is suing on behalf of her daughter, Gabriella, who was 5 at the time of the attack on Dec. 18, 2017, and has since turned 7.
According to their Portland attorney, Chad Stavley, Gabriella and her family were waiting at gate C7 to board a flight to Texas for the Christmas holiday. The girl’s mother and older sister went to get coffee nearby as Gabriella and her 13-year-old brother waited at the gate, Stavley said.
With Brannan’s consent, Gabriella began petting the dog, Stavley said. It then bit her -- puncturing her eyelid, severing her tear duct, lacerating her face and tearing her lip, Stavley said. The girl underwent surgery and has visible scars today, he said.
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