Dog attack leads to lawsuit

Family of 95-year-old woman killed by pit bull in Suffield sues pet’s owners, one of whom is state director of humane society

The family of a 95-year-old woman who died after being mauled by a pit bull in Suffield has filed a lawsuit against the dog’s owners, who include a former state representative who is an animal rights activist.

John F. D’Aleo, executor of Janet D’Aleo’s estate and her son, asks for damages in excess of $15,000 against

Maryanne Hornish and her husband, Neil.

The lawsuit was filed in Superior Court in Hartford on Thursday morning. Attorney John Houlihan from RisCassi & Davis is handling the case.

The attack happened about 3 p.m. Nov. 6 when Janet D’Aleo was visiting her friend, Annie Hornish’s mother, at the Hornish home on Thrall Avenue. Hornish goes by the first name Annie.

The dog “attacked D’Aleo, knocking her to the ground and bit her savagely, maiming and mutilating her lower extremities,” according to the lawsuit. It said D’Aleo was not “teasing, tormenting or abusing the dog.”

She suffered what Police Chief Richard Brown described at the time as “substantial and severe” injuries and was rushed to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where she died.

The lawsuit describes the injuries as

“significant bite wounds and lacerations to her lower extremities, resulting in flesh, muscle and tendon loss; injuries to the nerves, muscles, and soft tissues of her body; and a shock to her entire system.”

It also says that the Hornishes knew, or should have known, “of the propensity of this dog to attack and/or bite persons in proximity to said dog, yet failed to take any action to prevent said dog from attacking and killing the plaintiff’s decedent.”

They also “consciously ignored behavioral indicators that the dog presented an unreasonable danger,” it says.

The dog had bitten a person and another dog before the deadly attack, it says. In addition, the dog was not properly licensed, and the Hornishes failed to provide a valid rabies vaccination certificate to the town.

The suit also says the Hornishes were aware the dog suffered from anxiety, “yet chose to discontinue the dog’s anti-anxiety medication.”

In the days after D’Aleo’s death, Annie Hornish told the Courant that the dog, Dexter, greeted her mother’s guest with enthusiasm. When he did so, D’Aleo’s home health aide started striking the dog with a metal stool, she said.

Hornish said she believes the dog was reacting to being struck.

She also suggested that D’Aleo, who used a walker, died from hitting her head on the floor when she fell backward.

But investigators determined D’Aleo “died as a direct result of coming into contact with the dog,” the police chief said.

Janet D’Aleo had visited before without any problems, Hornish has said. She couldn’t be reached for comment about the lawsuit Thursday.

Investigators decided not to pursue criminal charges against Hornish, but Brown said the dog must be put down.

Police have issued a disposal order, and the Hornish family has appealed. A hearing on the appeal is scheduled for 9 a.m. Jan. 7 at the Hartford offices of the Department of Agriculture, Brown said Thursday.

In the meantime, the dog is at the River Valley Animal Center, a veterinary hospital in Suffield, the chief said.

Hornish is the Connecticut Senior State Director of the Humane Society of the United States. She was known for fighting animal cruelty when she was a member of the state House of Representatives from 2009 to 2011.

During her time in the legislature she opposed puppy mills and the sale of shark fins. She also is against the legalization of bear hunting.