Steinberg v. Petta

Following a jury trial in the circuit court of Cook County, the plaintiff, James Steinberg, was awarded $7,508.20 in this action to recover for injuries he sustained as a result of a dog bite. The dog belonged to tenants of the defendant, Lawrence Petta, and the basis for liability was the defendant’s status under the Animal Control Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1983, ch. 8, pars. 351 through 378) as a harborer of the dog. The appellate court affirmed the judgment, with one justice dissenting (139 Ill. App. 3d 503), and we allowed the defendant’s petition for leave to appeal (103 Ill. 2d R. 315(a)).

The…