SAN FRANCISCO >> The California Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a San Francisco woman convicted of second-degree murder for her dog’s fatal mauling of a neighbor in 2001.

In turning down the appeal Wednesday, the court confirmed the 15-years-to-life sentence of Marjorie Knoller, an attorney.

The ruling comes after a long legal battle, including a ruling in August by The First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco.

That court ruled that Knoller acted with a conscious disregard for human life when her 140-pound Presa Canario escaped and killed Diane Whipple in an apartment building hallway.

Knoller was released from prison in 2004 after a trial judge reduced her second-degree murder conviction to involuntary manslaughter. But she was sent back when another judge reinstated the conviction.