09/06/2026
FOX BUSINESS ANCHOR SAYS DOG ATTACK LEFT HER PERMANENTLY DISFIGURED
Fox Business anchor Jackie DeAngelis is suing Whole Foods after she says a dog attacked her inside a Manhattan store, leaving her with serious and permanent injuries.
According to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, DeAngelis was shopping at the Whole Foods at 10 Columbus Circle in September 2023 when a black pit bull bit her left hand.
Police reportedly said the dog and its owner had already left the store by the time officers arrived.
DeAngelis says the injuries were severe enough to require surgery and that she has been left with significant scarring, reduced mobility and difficulty performing certain tasks. Her lawsuit describes the effects of the injury as permanent and continuing.
But the lawsuit isn’t directed at the unidentified dog owner… it’s against Whole Foods.
DeAngelis alleges that the dog was not a legitimate service animal and should not have been permitted inside the grocery store. Whole Foods prohibits ordinary pets while allowing service animals in accordance with federal disability law.
The lawsuit alleges that the dog had been inside the store long enough that employees should have discovered its presence and that Whole Foods failed to reasonably enforce its own policies regarding animals in its stores.
DeAngelis is seeking unspecified damages related to medical expenses, emotional distress and the lasting effects of her injuries.
The case also raises a broader issue that extends well beyond this particular attack: the increasing presence of pet dogs in spaces where only trained service animals are supposed to be permitted.
Regardless of breed, bringing an unsuitable dog into a crowded public environment can have devastating consequences for other people, legitimate service-dog handlers and the dog itself.
At the same time, one horrific attack cannot tell us why an individual dog behaved aggressively or establish the behavior of an entire breed or type of dog.
The allegations have not yet been adjudicated, and Whole Foods had not publicly responded to the lawsuit in the initial reports.
What do you think: Should businesses be doing more to enforce rules prohibiting non-service dogs inside stores?