Menu
310-474-5588
F
r
e
e

C
o
n
s
u
l
t
a
t
i
o
n

2nd Degree Murder Convict, Marjorie Knoller, Denied Parole in Dog Attack Case

On behalf of The Law Offices of Howard Kornberg Posted in Dog Bite

Earlier this month, Marjorie Knoller, who had been convicted of 2nd-degree murder in 2002 for a dog mauling case, was denied parole at the California Institute for Women in San Bernardino. The denial of parole was welcomed by family members and friends of Diane Whipple, who lost her life when Knoller’s dogs attacked her. Prosecutors were also relieved to hear the news, and most surprisingly, Knoller herself may have been relieved as she told parole commissioners that she did not feel she was ready to be released. She will be up for parole again in three years.

Long term impacts

Our dog bite lawyers in Los Angeles understand the long-term impacts that dog bites often have on the victims and their family members. Diane Whipple tragically lost her life. Sharon Smith lost her partner. Colin Kelly lost his sister. Kelly and Smith both spoke at the parole hearing and voiced their opposition to granting her parole. They could be seen wiping tears away throughout the hearing as 17 years later; they were still heartbroken over their loss.

Diane Whipple’s attack

Knoller and her husband were attorneys who were caring for two Presa Canarios that belonged to a man in prison. At trial, witnesses testified that prior to the attack, Knoller and her husband failed to control the two dogs and refused to muzzle the dogs. One witness testified that he was bitten by one of the dogs one year prior to the attack on Diane Whipple.

In 2001, Whipple was walking in a hallway in her apartment building when the Presa Canarios, whom Knoller and her husband were caring for, attacked her, resulting in her death. Knoller, according to witness testimony, watched the attack and failed to intervene. Knoller’s husband was not home at the time of the accident. Knoller’s husband was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 4 years in prison. As previously mentioned, Knoller was convicted of 2nd-degree murder.

Wrongful death claims

Diane Whipple’s mother filed a wrongful death claim against Knoller, her husband, and the property management company in order to recover for damages she suffered as a result of losing her daughter. Eventually, her claim was settled for an undisclosed amount.

Sharon Smith made headlines when she moved to file a wrongful death claim against Knoller, her husband, and the property management company as well. At the time, same-sex marriages were not legal in California, and that meant that Smith was not permitted by statute to file a wrongful death claim. She eventually won the right to proceed with her claim, and she later settled it for an undisclosed amount.

Legal remedies

Fortunately for California residents, dog bite victims do have legal remedies to pursue. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries due to a dog bite, contact an attorney at the Law Offices of Howard Kornberg to discuss your dog bite case and resulting injuries. When dogs bite, injured victims deserve to be compensated.

Arrow Prev PrevNext Arrow Next
blog-bg
A
Howard is the best! He helped me when I was injured 🤕 on my shoulder and head he was amazing and we won!
Read more
M
Howard Kornberg is amazing ! I have been his client for over 15 years.
J
Howard and his staff were very thorough and always ready to update us on the progress of our case. They worked tirelessly...
Read more
S
Howard worked my dog bite case in quick time. We had a terrible event happen with a ferocious dog attack. Howard and his ...
Read more
M
Excellent experience! Howard and his team are smart, competent, honest and fair. They advocated on my behalf to secure ...
Read more
j
Friendly people, very professional, very detail oriented, and he will fight for you !!
R
Howard Kornberg and his team were utterly amazing from start to finish! Initial call - very attentive, supportive, warm a...
Read more
R
HCK and staff are amazing!!
f
The Law Offices of Howard Kornberg were highly recommend by someone I hold dear to my heart. He trusting them, meant I co...
Read more
R
Does great work and will go out of his way to ensure you get what you deserve, never gave up on me even when I was going ...
Read more
M
What a great!! experience I had with the Law Offices of Howard Craig Kornberg, Mr. Kornberg is a fantastic!! lawyer, very...
Read more
M
Howard is a phenomenal, exemplary, kind lawyer who will fight for you every step of the way. I couldn't recommend him hig...
Read more
P
Working with Howard Kornberg and his associates is like having an extended family. Not only did the team and Howard give ...
Read more
A
The people that work here are honest and straight up, Ana and Robert were extremely helpful ! I called in regarding an in...
Read more
T
Despite having to to deal with multiple family members and the death of my mother just as Mr. Kornberg had reach a settle...
Read more
J
I took my "car accident" case to Mr. Kornberg for review. I had been told by several attorneys it was a "losing case." I...
Read more
M
My experience with this office and Mr. Kornberg was everything I could have hoped for. Smart, efficient and reliable. If ...
Read more
A
Mr Kornberg and his staff are truly outstanding. Their diligent and honest efforts proved successful in trial. His person...
Read more
J
Howard is an amazing lawyer who gets the job done. He's a great guy, he's very helpful and he's responsive. And most impo...
Read more
A
Howard Kornberg did an impeccable job in representing me in my trial. He knew how to deal with the jury well. In his offi...
Read more
E
Mr Kornberg represented me very well in my case resulting in an outstanding settlement. His incredibly responsive staff a...
Read more
C
I needed a good personal injury lawyer, I was injured in a car accident and called a bunch of attorneys in LA and found t...
Read more
H
Howard is a great person to work with and his integrity is unquestioned. I would recommend him to any one if my friends...
Read more