Animal Law

Work Is a Zoo for Former HP Lawyer

Life took an interesting turn for a Hewlett-Packard lawyer who was on the board at the San Francisco Zoo in 2007 when an escaped tiger killed a teenager. Lawyer Tanya Peterson had never managed a nonprofit or cared for wild animals, but she was “dispatched to do damage control for…

Dec 14, 2011 12:00 PM CST

Personal Injury Lawyer’s Golden Retriever Didn’t Die in Vain: Police Shooting Results in New Policy

It’s too late for the elderly golden retriever who belonged to Florida personal injury Roy Glass. But after he and his wife mounted a public campaign over the killing of their 12-year-old arthritic pet, who was shot to death by a St. Petersburg police officer on Oct. 1, the department…

Nov 17, 2011 1:00 AM CST

Justices Appear Ready to Overturn California Law Keeping Downer Animals Off the Menu

Supreme Court justices appeared likely Wednesday to overturn a California law aimed at keeping downer animals off of Americans’ dinner tables. The law calls for immediate euthanization of “nonambulatory” livestock and bars their slaughter, report the New York Times and the Washington Post. Justices appeared likely to overturn the law…

Nov 10, 2011 4:36 PM CST

Feds Sue Personal Injury Law Firm, Say It Banned Disabled Client’s Service Dog From Its Offices

A federal prosecutor has sued an upstate New York personal injury law firm, contending that it banned a client from bringing her service dog into its offices. A lawsuit filed in White Plains today by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York says Newburgh-based Larkin Axelrod…

Nov 8, 2011 9:24 PM CST

Yes, the Government Is Forcibly Implanting Microchips; 6th Circuit Allows ‘Dog-gonest’ Suit

A federal appeals court has reinstated most of the claims of dog owners who sued animal control officials in Louisville, Ky., for implanting microchips in their nine dogs without consent. The suit by James and Angela O’Neill claims animal control officers entered their home without a warrant, seized two adult…

Nov 8, 2011 4:45 PM CST

Angry Over the Death of a Beloved Pet, More Owners Sue the Animal’s Vet

Because animals are considered property, there is often little to be gained financially from suing over the death of a beloved pet. But a growing number of owners are doing so anyway, seeking to hold veterinarians accountable when they feel substandard care has shortened an animal’s life or caused unnecessary…

Nov 4, 2011 11:04 AM CDT

PETA to Cite 13th Amendment in Suit Challenging Killer Whale Captivity; Prof Sees Standing Problems

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals plans to file a lawsuit today in federal court in San Diego that lists five killer whales as plaintiffs. The suit will contend the five orca whales are being held by SeaWorld in violation of the 13th Amendment’s ban on slavery, according to…

Oct 26, 2011 1:47 PM CDT

Ferret Autopsy Pending in Minn. Domestic Abuse Case

It appears that prosecutors will have to prove the cause of death of a ferret in a domestic abuse case in Minnesota if it is not resolved before trial. Authorities filed felony animal cruelty charges today in Hennepin County District Court against a 23-year-old Minneapolis man who allegedly drowned his…

Oct 22, 2011 12:40 AM CDT

Woman Convicted of Child Endangerment for Letting Girl Watch Dog Euthanasia

Updated: A Long Island woman has been convicted of child endangerment for letting a 10-year-old girl see a dog being euthanized. Mona Kanciper, who has a farm in Manorville, N.Y., euthanized the dog herself, the Associated Press reports. Judge James Hudson of Suffolk County convicted Kanciper in a bench trial.…

Oct 14, 2011 1:19 PM CDT

Antitrust Suit Alleges Dairy Groups Killed 500,000 Cows to Drive Up the Price of Dairy Products

A price-fixing lawsuit filed yesterday in federal court in San Francisco contends that a so-called dairy cow retirement program in California was actually intended to drive up the price of milk and other dairy products by killing healthy animals, reports KOMO. Over 500,000 dairy cows were slaughtered before their time,…

Sep 28, 2011 1:41 AM CDT

Prosecuted for Dog’s Death on Res Ipsa Theory, Woman Argues Lack of Necropsy Is a Case-Killer

The owner of a Florida store selling healthy pet food for dogs and cats couldn’t have intended for her 5-year-old Akita to die one weekend in April 2009 when she left it alone at the shop for the weekend as she traveled with other canines. But that’s what happened, and…

Sep 14, 2011 10:04 PM CDT

Banned from Her Home for 3 Years for Feeding Bears, Ore. Woman Loses Appeal

Despite the help of an animal law attorney, Geordie Duckler, who handled her appeal pro bono, a former resident of an Oregon Coast town has lost a legal fight over her conviction for feeding local black bears. Karen Noyes, 63, lost an appeal and the Oregon Supreme Court recently declined…

Sep 1, 2011 6:00 PM CDT

Nuisance or Necessity? ADA Suit May Overturn Pit-Bull Bans

Hector—Rescued in 2007 from NFL Quarterback Michael Vick’s dogfighting operation—is shown with owner/trainer Roo Yori at a middle school where they are teaching children how to safely interact with animals. What happens when a city bans pit bulls and a disabled resident has a pit bull service dog? A lawsuit.…

Sep 1, 2011 8:30 AM CDT

Creature Comforts: When We Need Help, There Should Be a Menagerie of Options

If it serves its master like a dog or comforts like a dog, why can’t it be a monkey? Though that may sound like a riddle, it’s actually a very real and legitimate question. For years, owners of service animals and therapy animals other than dogs have been wondering why…

Sep 1, 2011 5:10 AM CDT

Bats in $2,500-a-Month Apt. Forced Us to Leave and Get Rabies Shots, Women Say in Suit

Two women who say they paid $36,100 up-front to rent a $2,500-a-month apartment in New York City for a year that turned out to be infested by bats are suing to get their money back … plus $1 million in damages. When they spotted the first bat, flying around one…

Aug 24, 2011 11:43 PM CDT