AOC’s Republican challenger Tina Forte sued after her pit bull attacked a neighbor’s child
The woman running against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is being sued by a neighbor who accuses her dog of biting a child.
Tina Forte is challenging AOC for the second time this election season in New York’s 14th Congressional District. The team member defeated Forte in 2022 with 72.5 percent of the vote.
Her neighbor Kelly Johnson claims that Forte’s pit bull named Brownie jumped the fence separating the backyards of their Nanuet homes and attacked her child on Feb. 28, 2023, according to court documents viewed by DailyMail.com.
The mother said her daughter’s injuries include “worn, sick, painful, crippled and disabled and remain so; suffered serious and permanent injuries to her face, head, body, limbs, nervous and psychological systems.”
Johnson accuses Forte and her husband Joseph Galdieri of unspecified personal damages and claims they were negligent in supervising their dog.
AOC’s Republican opponent in the Bronx, Tina Forte, is being sued by a neighbor who accuses her dog of biting a child
Photos shared on Forte’s Facebook page show she had at least three large dogs with her in the months leading up to the attack. It is unclear which dog in the photo is Brownie
“They knew or should have known that the Pit Bull possessed vicious tendencies, had a ferocious nature and temperament, and was accustomed to attacking and biting humans,” the lawsuit said.
The congressional candidate and her husband have denied the allegation in their lawsuits.
Photos shared on Forte’s Facebook page show she had at least three large dogs with her in the months leading up to the attack.
Text messages filed in discovery show Forte and her neighbor discussing the attack and the child’s injuries.
“Please let me know when she leaves the OR. My god, I can’t believe this happened! I’m so sorry,” Forte told her neighbor on February 28, 2023.
‘The surgeon thinks it turned out well and that it could have been much worse. But that’s not what [the child] wants to hear. She feels ugly,” Johnson said.
Her neighbor claims that on February 28, 2023, Forte’s pit bull, named Brownie, jumped the fence separating the backyards of their homes in Nanuet and attacked her child (Photo: Forte’s home in Nanuet)
Forte’s (pictured with blonde bob), husband and son (circled) have both previously been convicted on federal charges
Forte also revealed in the text messages that she had rehomed Brownie after the attack.
DailyMail.com contacted Forte and her attorney for comment.
Forte is working on a platform to “stop radical socialists from destroying the American Dream.”
Her campaign issues include funding law enforcement, ending bail reform, school choice and anti-immigration policies.
Forte’s husband and son, Joseph Jr., have both been previously convicted on federal charges.
In 2019, the father-son pair was busted for possession of an illegal firearm and possession of $150,000 worth of marijuana.
Galderi Sr. was previously found guilty of second-degree assault, while Galderi Jr. had filed charges in several states.