EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Phil Asks Judge To Dismiss Dog Bite Lawsuit
May 28 2018, Updated 10:15 a.m. ET
Talk show host, Dr. Phil McGraw, is fighting back at allegations by a former best friend who claims she was severely bitten by McGraw’s beloved family dog.
In the court documents, obtained exclusively by RadarOnline.com, Dr. Phil’s attorneys are demanding that the lawsuit be dismissed because it’s in violation of an agreement to arbitrate any disputes.
EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTS: Dr. Phil request lawsuit be dismissed.
RadarOnline.com broke the exclusive story about the lawsuit pitting former best friends against each other.
According to the response filed March 7, Dr. Phil’s attorneys state that the alleged victim, Janet Harris allegedly signed an arbitration agreement in 2009 that stated in part: “I Janet Harris agree that any and all disputes, now existing or hereafter arising, between me…and Dr. Phillip McGraw and/or Robin McGraw… will be resolved exclusively and solely in a binding, confidential, private arbitration….”
The McGraws are seeking an order to dismiss Harris’ lawsuit and settle the lawsuit in arbitration.
Harris was frequently featured on the Dr. Phil’s talk show as a skin care specialist and became a close confidant of the McGraws. Her lawsuit contends that she traveled with the McGraws for business and pleasure, spent holidays with them and more.
But all of that changed when Harris visited the McGraw's Beverly Hills home in late 2009 and Maggie, their Korean Jindo, allegedly attacked Harris "without provocation and warning," according to the complaint filed February 2 by Harris' personal injury lawyer, Larry Nagelberg.
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Harris states in her filing that the dog bit her right hand and arm so hard she bled.
According to the complaint, Robin offered to take Harris to the hospital, but Dr. Phil instructed his wife not to because it would create "unnecessary" bad press and he wanted to handle it privately.
So in lieu of seeking medical treatment at a hospital, Harris was prescribed antibiotics by a physician through a nurse friend, but the next day her arm was swollen, the documents state.
The lawsuit claims that after getting a Tetanus shot, Harris was forced to take IV antibiotics and had to see an infectious disease specialist who diagnosed her with pastuerella multocida -- a disease caused by an animal bite.
Harris says in her lawsuit that the dog bite injury caused the infection and that it would have been fatal if she had not been placed on antibiotics within 72 hours.
The lawsuit further states that her medical conditions hindered her ability to work and she was subsequently evicted and forced to close her Beverly Hills clinic.
Harris is seeking an unspecified monetary amount in damages, including all medical-related expenses.
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