Brewster Labradoodles owned by high-profile lawyer declared 'nuisance dogs.' What we know.

BREWSTER — Two golden Labradoodles belonging to a high-profile lawyer have been declared "nuisance dogs" by the Brewster Select Board, after a resident claimed one of them bit her in a town conservation area.

Brewster resident Tonia St. Germain told the board during a dangerous dog hearing Thursday that she was “viciously attacked and bitten" by what she called "standard poodles," resulting in severe puncture wounds on June 14 on the Hay Conservation public walking trails.

Two of the dogs blamed belonged to Parisis G. Filippatos, “Gerry,” and his wife, Britta Cleveland, who also testified Thursday. A third dog belonged to their daughter, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, and was not considered in the ruling.

The Brewster Select Board ruled 4-1 to give the dogs the label "nuisance" and required certain restrictions.

Who is Parisis G. Filippatos?

Filippatos is a lawyer based in White Plains, New York, who represents employees in high level cases of gender discrimination or harassment. He recently won a $12 million settlement for former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg in a case against the network regarding “a hostile and discriminatory workplace.”

He has homes in New York and Brewster.

Filippatos and Cleveland were represented by Hyannis Attorney David Lawler at the hearing. St. Germain, a retired lawyer, represented herself and was the one who requested the hearing.

What is a nuisance dog?

The state law, Chapter 140, Section 157, defines a nuisance dog “by reason of vicious disposition or excessive barking or other disturbance,” but the law provides local officials discretion to protect the public safety based on particular facts.

What happened at the Hays Conservation trail that day?

At the hearing, St. Germain showed the bite marks on both legs in photos and in person, which she said were Level 4 wounds based on a scale of one to six called “Dr. Ian Dunbar’s Dog Bite Scale.” Brewster Police officer Freddie A. O’Neal, who first arrived at the scene of the incident, verified the wounds as dog bites.

St. Germain said she was walking her leashed dog, Oakley, a male boxer mix, when she saw the three dogs walking toward her from another trail but didn’t see the owners. She called loudly for them to leash their dogs but heard no response and pulled her dog near her.

"Three were barking and growling as they aggressively attacked," she said. "It was terrifying. I was screaming, ‘No, no, get your dogs,' as loudly as I could. I still did not see the owners.”

She said the largest of the two brown and white dogs bit her on her inner right thigh, and later she found a second bite on her left thigh.

“The dog had time to bite me twice before the owner finally appeared and leashed it,” she said in her written statement.

Filippatos said he did not see his dog bite anyone

Filippatos claimed that he was only a few seconds away from the dogs when he heard St. Germain’s “blood curdling scream.” He said in his testimony that his vision of the dogs was hindered by a curve in the trail and the woods. When they heard the screams, he said his wife ran ahead and called the dogs back. All the dogs were barking, he said.

Filippatos denied St. Germain’s claim that he pulled a dog off her leg. When Town Attorney Gregg Corbo questioned whether Filippatos saw any of the dogs biting St. Germain, he said, “absolutely not.” Lawler said Filippatos' dogs were too small to have bitten St. Germain that high up on her legs.

“We did the best we could under the circumstances. We feel very badly about it,” Filippatos said, but added, “I’m sure it wasn’t our dog that bit her.”

He did concede that the dogs should have been on a leash under the conservation rule, but that he wasn’t aware of it and had seen many other unleashed dogs there.

The couple claimed the dogs had never bitten anyone and were well-behaved around other dogs in the dog park and in their neighbors’ yards. Neighbors backed them up in written statements.

When ruling the dogs nuisances, the dissenting vote came from Brewster Select Board Chairman Ned Chatelain, who was not convinced that there was enough evidence to show the bites were from the Filippatos’ dogs since St. Germain could not clearly identify which dog bit her.

“Her own dog could have bit her,” he said.

St. Germain said she felt her description was sufficient.

What does the ruling mean for the Labradoodles?

The board required the dogs, Roki and Remi, to be leashed at all times in public places, and held by one responsible adult except in the Brewster Dog Park, which does not require leashing. The board also required proof of a $100,000 insurance policy on the dogs and that they comply with all rules and regulations on other properties, namely those owned by the Brewster Conservation Trust.

Board member Mary Chaffee initially proposed stronger restrictions to the nuisance designation, requested by St. Germain, including muzzling the dogs in public, using a short leash and being controlled individually by two adults.

“We are here about public safety,” she said. “A Brewster resident has received puncture wounds and was the only party as witness.”

Other board members thought those requirements were too strong, and Chaffee amended her motion. Board member Dave Whitney said he was concerned that future altercations could occur because the parties involved lived on the same street and used the same walking area. Lawler argued also that the restriction of walking the dogs separately would be a “tremendous inconvenience” to Cleveland as her husband works off Cape.

Animal Control Officer Lynda Brogden-Burns also put all the dogs under 10-day quarantine after the incident and released them after they appeared healthy and showed no sign of rabies.

Does Brewster require dogs to be leashed at all times?

The state general law (Chapter 140, Section 173) requires dogs to be leashed at all times in public. The Brewster bylaw (Article II, Section 86-3) requires leashing except when the dog can be under control of the owner without a leash.

What happens next?

Filippatos said they hired a dog trainer after the incident, which has helped a lot with barking. They also obtained town dog licenses that had lapsed and installed a fence around their entire property. He said they would no longer let their dogs off the property to be with other dogs after a neighbor claimed they had been harassing her chickens.

“We intend to abide by the law and walk (the dogs) on a leash,” Filippatos told Corbo.

After the hearing, however, Filippatos and Lawler said they plan to appeal the board’s ruling. They wouldn’t say how or where.

The state law states that the owner or keeper of the aggrieved dog may file an appeal in the local district court within 10 days after the order is issued. The district court justice hears testimony to determine if a dog is a nuisance or a dangerous dog.

St. Germain questioned the ruling but said she would abide by the board’s decision.

“I want to feel safe from the owners, the dogs and on the trail,” she said.

She said she has incurred medical bills and emotional trauma and no longer feels safe walking in the neighborhood or on the trail.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Dogs owned by lawyer in Fox News settlement blamed in Brewster attack