Dog Whisperer star Cesar Millan and Queen Latifah are appearing together, but not in a show. Gymnast Lidia Matiss is suing Millan, claiming she was attacked by his pit bull Junior in 2017, when she visited her mother at an office building owned by Millan in Van Nuys, California. Matiss claims Millan knew Junior was a dangerous dog because it allegedly killed Queen Latifah’s dog.
In the lawsuit, Matiss claims she saw Junior roaming the office building, unsupervised and without a leash, reports TMZ. Matiss claims the dog attacked her, leaving her with bites on her legs. She was rushed to an emergency room and her injuries were so severe that they derailed her career as a gymnast, she claims. Matiss noted she was a “star gymnast” who competed at a high level in the U.S. Gymnastics Junior Olympics Program. She had to stop competing because of the pain she endured allegedly because of Millan’s dog.
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Matiss claims Millan was aware that Junior had a history of violence and should not have been walking around unsupervised, reports TMZ. The dog allegedly bit several people and other dogs, according to the lawsuit. One of those dogs was owned by Latifah. In the lawsuit, Matiss’ attorneys Omar G. Qureshi and Brian M. Adesman note that Latifah brought two of her dogs to Millan’s Dog Psychology Center. Junior attacked one of the dogs, which later died. Matiss claims Millan covered up the attack by telling his staff to tell The Equalizer star her dog was killed by a car.
It’s not clear when this alleged incident with Latifah happened. In January 2018, Latifah posted a photo on Twitter with Millan. “Had my first training session for my new babies with [Millan]! Already learning So much,” she wrote at the time. Junior died in July, reports the New York Daily News.
Millan has already filed a response to the lawsuit, claiming that Matiss took the risk of being bitten because she knew the dog was dangerous. He claimed she was “negligent,” but did not say how. Matiss said the injuries have left her disfigured and she continues to experience pain. She is suing for unspecified damages.
Millan is best known for his series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, which aired from 2004 to 2012. He now hosts National Geographic’s Cesar Millan: Better Human Better Dog. In 2015, a Florida nurse sued him after she allegedly suffered “disfiguring open wounds, deep muscle and tendon lacerations” and bone fractures when a pit bull attacked her at Millan’s dog center.
