Roger Clinton to Pay Fine Over Dog Bite

TORRANCE — President Bill Clinton’s brother Roger must pay $1,258.10, because his dog bit the owner of another dog, a jury ruled.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court jury on Monday gave the award to Jeff Klempan, 40, a neighbor of Roger Clinton in Redondo Beach. Klempan sued Clinton for medical bills, one week’s lost wages and unspecified damages.

Klempan, a tree trimmer for the city of Torrance, argued that he was walking his dog, Dakota, on May 5, 1997, when Clinton’s dog, Bear, ran out and attacked Dakota. Klempan says Bear bit him while he was trying to separate the dogs.

Klempan said the attack has left him with nightmares and makes him uncomfortable to walk his own dog.

Clinton filed a $300,000 countersuit charging that his wife, Molly, and young son, Tyler, suffered emotional distress because it was Dakota, a 97-pound Rottweiler, that attacked Bear, a 68-pound Labrador retriever.

Jurors dismissed Clinton’s countersuit. The trial lasted five days and was delayed in November when Judge Bob T. Hight allowed Clinton, a musician, to travel to South Korea to play an engagement.