Whatever the Georgia Supreme Court decides about who was liable for injuries caused when two pit bulls escaped through a gate with a broken latch, oral arguments Wednesday provide a cautionary tale for landlords.

Gregory Tyner, owner of the house on Ivy Trace in the Henry County city of Stockbridge, contends he was not responsible because it was the dogs, not his broken latch, that caused the injury to plaintiff Maria Matta-Troncoso. He asserts she was two blocks away on the afternoon of Oct. 24, 2013, when the pit bulls broke loose and ran.