PORTLAND (AP) – A nationally televised legal spat over a Gorham woman’s dead chicken ended when “Judge Judy” awarded her $1,500 in damages from her neighbor.

The sharp-tongued judge ruled that the neighbor, Phillip Csoros, acted irresponsibly when he allowed his two Labrador retrievers to get loose from his property and into the unfenced yard where Cathy Davis kept her five pet chickens.

Davis claimed that her Plymouth Rock hen, Princess, was hurt so badly by the dogs that her father, Gordon Trynor, was forced to shoot the bird to prevent further suffering.

Trynor said the dogs had “pretty much tore the chicken up” and had broken her neck.

Csoros, an airline pilot, took issue with the testimony of Davis and her father, saying the hen was “entirely intact,” “unbloodied” and “making normal chicken noises.”

Judge Judy Sheindlin concluded that even if the extent of the bird’s injuries was in dispute, it was clear that Csoros was at fault during the Oct. 20 incident in allowing his dogs out of his yard.

But the judge said Davis’ claim for $4,500 in damages for pain and suffering was “ridiculous” and awarded her $1,500 instead.

Davis and Csoros had signed an agreement to abide by the judge’s ruling and not reveal the outcome before the episode aired Wednesday afternoon on WGME-TV, Portland.

Davis said earlier that she agreed to have the case heard on national television to help spread awareness of the plight of suburban chickens.

“Chickens are growing in popularity in suburban areas, for different reasons, but dogs are killing them,” Davis said. “That’s part of the reason I decided to do this.”

The cases on “Judge Judy” are found by researchers scouring courts around the country, said Gary Rosen, a spokesman for the Hollywood-based show. When Davis’ chicken was attacked and put down, the local animal control officer got involved and the case landed in court records.

Csoros has an unpublished telephone number and could not be reached for comment.