Greenbelt Grapples with Pit Bull Liability

Some officials wondered whether HOAs, cooperatives, condominium associations, or even the city could be held liable in pit bull attacks.

  Greenbelt City Council grappled Monday to understand whether the city and housing communities could be sued in the case of pit bull attacks. The discussion was the result of a much-debated decision by Maryland's Court of Appeals earlier this year that landlords and owners could be held liable for pit bull injuries. Prince George's County has had a ban on pit bulls since 1997, but Councilman Edward Putens was concerned that in cases where residents broke the ban, the court’s decision did not clarify whether responsibility for injuries could extend beyond dog owners and landlords to homeowners associations, condominiums, housing cooperatives, or the city, for that matter. If it did, he worried that the results could be disastrous. “We got …

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