Marion Cope Sues City of San Francisco Over Alleged Dog Attack in Huntington Park

Marion Cope is barking mad over an alleged dog attack

​A Nob Hill grand dame who says her leg was mutilated by off-leash dogs in Huntington Park last fall has filed a lawsuit against the city, asserting that San Francisco officials failed to adequately enforce leash laws at the park.

Marion Cope -- widow of Newton Cope, former proprietor of Nob Hill's swanky Huntington Hotel -- claims in the lawsuit that the city "had a general pattern and practice of failing to enforce its Off-Leash Law," despite the fact that all dogs at Huntington Park are supposed to be kept on a lead.

Cope had earlier filed a complaint with the city attorney's office seeking damages in excess of $50,000. The lawsuit, filed last week, states that the complaint was rejected.

Cope says she was swarmed by a "pack" of off-leash dogs on the evening of Nov. 11 while walking her Irish terrier, Clancy. She was knocked over and received a 10-inch gash to her leg requiring surgery. The incident sparked a feverish debate on the subject of the city's poorly enforced leash laws, leading to the intercession of Board of Supervisors President David Chiu.

Curtis Henry and Lana Beckett, who own the dogs that allegedly attacked Cope, are also named as defendants in the suit.

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