French Montana's no stranger to big moves and even bigger price tags, but this time, he took a serious bite out of his pockets. The Bronx-bred spitter has been slapped with a $400,000-plus judgment over a vicious dog mauling at his Calabasas estate in 2019.
The legal issues are related to an incident in November 2019 where a landscaper, Jason Leyva, was mauled by Montana's Tibetan mastiff while on the rapper's property. The attack resulted in Leyva suffering painful injuries to his shoulder and hip, and he had to be hospitalized and receive multiple stitches and antibiotics.
That led to a legal battle that recently ended in a ruling against Montana, ordering him to pay $402,644 in damages. Leyva claimed the rapper had thought a settlement had been reached years ago. Leyva says any money he received while working in Montana was for contracted landscaping, not as payment for the attack.
Montana's claims notwithstanding, the court sided with Leyva, saying the rapper hadn't offered any proof of a prior settlement. To make matters worse, Leyva claimed that any settlement paperwork that might surface would potentially be fraudulent.
Montana's attorney, Dariush Adli, is still intent on fighting the ruling, saying in a statement to Rolling Stone that they will appeal the judgment. "We will request that the judge reconsider," Adli said. "If he doesn't, we'll advise our client to appeal. If the judge stands by his decision, we are confident this will be reversed on appeal."
Leyva had initially demanded a significantly larger payout, asking for about $2.3 million in damages. He also claimed that Montana agreed in a verbal contract to pay for his medical expenses after the attack, a promise he alleges was never fulfilled.
The court favored French Montana by default when he didn't respond to the lawsuit. But Montana maintains that he was unaware of the lawsuit until the default judgment was already rendered.
Though the rapper is accustomed to blowing big bucks, this sort of surprising legal hit will vex. With an appeal likely on the way, Montana's team is preparing for a new round in court. For now, this canine-related caper has given the "Unforgettable" rapper a bill he won't soon forget. For now, French Montana should probably maintain a tighter leash on his wallet and his four-legged pals.
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