Mailman files lawsuit against dog's owners over alleged bite

A mail carrier is suing the owners of a dog he claims bit his hand while delivering mail in a suburban Cook County.

Jerome Holec filed a lawsuit Oct. 21 in Cook County Circuit Court against Kikuko Reavis and Kanae Welsh, alleging negligence and violations of the Illinois Animal Control Act.

According to the complaint, Holec was a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service assigned to deliver mail on Eagle Avenue in Melrose Park on May 7, 2013, when he was bitten on the right hand by the defendants' dog, which is believed to be a Rhodesian Ridgeback.

Holec seeks more than $50,000 in damages. He is represented by attorney John T. Cichon of Polansky & Cichon in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 2014L010907.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it represents only one side of the story.