Alex Trebek will not roll over or play dead when it comes to being sued over his dog.
“Jeopardy!” host Trebek and his wife Jean have fired back in a lawsuit filed by a woman who said that she was injured when their dog emerged from his property and tried to attack her.
Hanna Ketai filed her suit in July, saying she was walking her yellow Labrador down the street when “suddenly and without warning, a large black dog ran through an open gate” at the Trebeks’ Studio City, California residence “and charged directly at Ketai and tried to attack her. Ketai screamed and immediately turned to her right in an effort to avoid the attacker [sic], causing her to fall down on her hands and knees in the middle of the street onto [sic] oncoming traffic. When Ketai looked up, she saw a large SUV headed in her direction.”
But in the answer Ketai’s complaint, the Trebeks put any injury that Ketai might have suffered during the alleged incident largely in her court, saying that Ketai’s “conduct and actions were so careless, reckless and negligent as to cause and contribute in some degree to the alleged incident and to the damages and injuries, if any, alleged to have been sustained by said Plaintiff.”
The Trebeks’ answer also says that Ketai “failed to exercise reasonable care and diligence to mitigate any damages sustained by reason of Defendants’ alleged acts.”
The answer further puts forth that Ketai wasn’t on the Trebeks’ premises lawfully, and that the dog, which was on the Trebeks’ property at all times, didn’t have “a propensity to attack other dogs or members of the public,” nor did it bite Ketai.
The suit claims negligence and seeks unspecified damages.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.