At approximately 1 p.m. on July 17, 2009, plaintiff Oscar Munoz, 35, a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service, was delivering a package to the home of family members Paytsar, Hambic, and Taros Saryan in Glendale when he was bitten on the left ankle by the Saryans’ small dog. Munoz sued the Saryans. He alleged that the defendants were negligent in failing to control their dog, making them strictly liable under the state’s dog bite statute. Munoz claimed that the defendant’s dog ran out of a gated yard and attacked him as he approached the property. Thus, he claimed that the defendants failed to guard their dog. The defendants initially denied liability, but ultimately admitted liability at trial., Munoz sustained puncture wounds to his left ankle from the dog bite and went to an emergency room that day. His wounds were debrided and he received sutures. He later followed up to have the sutures removed. Munoz claimed no residual effects from the injury, but claimed $586 in damages for his hospital bill and sought an unspecified amount of damages for his past pain and suffering. Defense counsel did not dispute Munoz’s medical costs, but did dispute the amount of his alleged past pain and suffering.