In 2007, Gwyneth Williams, 83, was fatally attacked by analligator at The Landings, a subdivision near Savannah,Georgia.

House-sitting for her daugher-in-law, Williams had been walkingnear the subdivision's golf course in the evening when she wasattacked by an eight-foot alligator. In the attack Williams lostboth her hands and her right foot.

She was found dead the next morning in one of the 168 lagoons onthe luxury property.

“Jack Douglas actually caught the gator before we got up there.When he opened it up, we were able to determine that this was thegator that had bitten her,” explained Ed Van Otteren, a wildlifetechnician with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

What no one has determined, thus far, is who is reposnsible forWilliams' death.

According to her heirs, who have filed a lawsuit against the TheLandings Association, the homeowners' association should haveconducted a better job in ensuring the safety of visitors to aplace where alligators are common.

The case, before the Georgia Supreme Court, will depend onwhether the homeowners association should be shielded from thelawsuit under a doctrine known as 'animals ferae naturae.'

The old legal doctrine states that a landowner is generally notresponsible for the unforeseen attacks of a wild animal thathappens to be on the land.

Mike Conner, a managing partner with Conner Law Group, which isrepresenting the heirs, said The Landings should be heldresponsbile.

“They knew the animals were there,” explained Conner. “They knewthe animals were dangerous. They knew they needed to do somethingabout the animals and didn't do anything about it.”

Conner said The Landings had a policy to remove any alligatorsmore than seven-feet long. But he said, they never did.

Van Otteren said it is not that easy.

“The Landings doesn't own that alligator,” VanOtteren explained. “In fact, if they want to do anything withthat alligator, they've got to call us, the Department of NaturalResources, to get a permit, to get that alligator moved.”

Van Otteren, who was present the day Williams' body wasfound, said cases like this can be tricky.

“I am highly surprised the case has gone this far,” he said.“Because, you're talking about wildlife and you're talkingabout wildlife in a natural setting. It was a pond off of a saltmarsh. You'd expect alligators there.”

Conner, however, claimed that not all the ponds on The Landingsare natural.