NY High Court Says Pet Owners Can Be Held Negligent for Harm (1)

New York’s highest court ruled Thursday that owners of domestic animals can be held negligent for harms caused by their pets, overturning nearly 20 years of precedent.

New York courts have struggled with case law barring negligence actions against pet owners, and they have carved out a number of exceptions over the years “for the sake of fairness,” Court of Appeals Judge Caitlin Halligan wrote for the unanimous court. The opinion brings the state’s approach more in line with that of at least 36 other states that Halligan noted have expressly recognized negligence as a distinct theory for injuries caused ...