A woman may seek punitive damages for a bite she received from one of the Hamptons’ most famous dogs, Oreo, the 9-year-old cockapoo of advertising executive and restaurateur Jerry Della Femina and TV personality Judy Licht, a Manhattan judge has ruled.
“[A]mple evidence exists from which the trier of fact could infer that defendants were aware of Oreo’s tendency to bite, but deliberately failed to prevent further incidents,” Supreme Court Justice Joan A. Madden (See Profile) ruled in Marsh v. Della Femina. “Defendants’ knowledge of Oreo’s propensity to bite is … relevant to plaintiff’s claim for punitive damages, i.e. whether defendants consciously and recklessly disregarded the danger posed by Oreo.”
