Animal Law

Remorseful Mom Who Nixed 10-Year Deal Gets 12-Year Sentence in Pet Python’s Killing of Tot

An apologetic mother of a 2-year-old child killed at home by her pet Burmese python was sentenced today to a 12-year prison term—as was the mother’s boyfrend—after being convicted last month of manslaughter by a Florida jury. Jaren Hare, 21, and Charles “Jason” Darnell, 34, had rejected a pretrial deal…

Aug 24, 2011 8:33 PM CDT

Legal Reform Needed So Pampered Pets of the Well-to-Do Inherit as Planned, Law Profs Say

Setting up an estate plan to take care of Fido and Fluffy can be more complex than one might think. Money to care for a beloved pet must be left in trust, with a designated caretaker. And even with all the high-priced legal talent available to Leona Helmsley, the hotel…

Aug 16, 2011 6:48 PM CDT

$10M Federal Wrongful Death Claim Over Hiker Gored By Mountain Goat in National Park

The survivors and estate of a hiker who bled to death soon after being gored by a monster 370-pound mountain goat in Olympic National Park last year are pursuing a $10 million wrongful death claim in federal court in Tacoma, Wash. They say park rangers should have acted more swiftly…

Aug 8, 2011 8:27 PM CDT

New Law Makes Buffy-the-Wormslayer Legal, Lets Attorney Show Off $1,200 Coop with Auto Door-Opener

Only a year ago, Attila-the-Hen, Buffy-the-Wormslayer and Motherclucker could have been roosting on the wrong side of the law in a palatial $1,200 coop in the back yard of Jody Noble-Choder, a Pittsburgh corporate attorney. But, in response to growing interest among residents in urban farming, city officials earlier this…

Aug 2, 2011 10:04 PM CDT

Texas Lawyer Who Bagged Monster Gator Is Charged with Illegal Hunting

Overjoyed at slaying a monster alligator weighing nearly 900 pounds with a single shot on his first reptile hunt last month, a Texas lawyer didn’t hesitate to talk with reporters about killing the 14-foot animal. Now, however, Levi McCathern II is charged in Leon County, along with three guides, with…

Jul 21, 2011 8:51 PM CDT

Advocates for Chickens, Egg Industry Agree on National Cage Standards, Ending State-by-State Debate

Just as lobbyists and lawmakers in Oregon hit the home stretch in discussions about appropriate standards for keeping chickens in humane conditions, it looks like their efforts may not be needed. Animal rights advocates and representatives of the egg industry have reached an agreement about a potential federal law that…

Jul 8, 2011 6:54 PM CDT

Is a Cage-Free Chicken a Happy Hen? Oregon Lawmakers Ponder This and Other Issues

What does it take to make a hen happy? Even the experts aren’t sure. But legislators and lobbyists in Oregon are having a shot at the subject, working to fine-tune an innovative new law that sets standards for keeping chickens in a humane setting. By 2026, the current version mandates,…

Jul 7, 2011 12:33 AM CDT

Piercing Kittens for ‘Goth’ Look Is Animal Cruelty, Pa. Appeals Court Says

A Pennsylvania appeals court has upheld an animal cruelty conviction for a woman who pierced kittens to give them a “goth” look. The Superior Court of Pennsylvania upheld the conviction of Holly Crawford of Sweet Valley, Pa. She was prosecuted based on a tip from an investigator for People for…

Jun 16, 2011 1:10 PM CDT

Bar Owner Admittedly Feeds Feral Cats, Says Higher Authority Trumps City Ordinance: Jesus

In an effort to deal with an estimated population of 80,000 feral cats, Houston has enacted an ordinance making it illegal to feed them. Although a “registered colony manager” program offers a safe harbor for doing so, some don’t see the need to comply with the city’s rules, reports the…

Jun 10, 2011 12:24 PM CDT

Tax Court Allows Lawyer to Deduct Some Care Expenses for Dozens of Foster Cats

A California lawyer who cared for dozens of foster cats in her Oakland home may deduct part of her claimed $12,000 in expenses, the U.S. Tax Court has ruled. Jan Elizabeth Van Dusen was a volunteer for Fix Our Ferals in 2004, according to the opinion (PDF) released last week.…

Jun 7, 2011 12:18 PM CDT

New Zoning Laws Allow for New Neighbors—Meet the Goats Next Door

Sisters Rosie and Phyllis out for a rare walk in Seattle’s Madrona neighborhood as stars in a Goat Justice League music video. Photo courtesy of Goatjusticeleague.org. First came the chickens, then the bees. So what’s the next animal that may be residing in a backyard next to you? Maybe goats.…

Jun 1, 2011 8:10 AM CDT

The Big Apple’s Cowgirl: Ag Lawyer Finds Success in NYC

Cari Rinckler has expertise as a livestock judge and big plans for her solo firm. Photo by Len Irish Cari Rincker may be the only lawyer in New York City who gets the Angus Journal mailed to her apartment and posts updates on Twitter about livestock (she’s @CariRincker). “She’s the…

Jun 1, 2011 6:09 AM CDT

Judge in Dognapping Case Awards Canine Custody to Caretaker, Orders Original Owners to Pay $16K

In the latest litigation treating a beloved pet almost as a human child, a judge in the United Kingdom asked to deal with a London dognapping case has awarded temporary custody of an approximately two-year-old Labrador to its caretaker of 18 months. The court was asked to weigh in after…

Apr 20, 2011 12:33 AM CDT

Alito More ‘a Feelings Justice’ than a Grand Vision Type

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s dissents in two First Amendment cases has led to a cluster of classifications in articles describing his judging style. A law professor writing in the Washington Post called Alito “America’s privacy cop,” while a doctoral student deemed him “the face of empathy” in a Huffington…

Mar 21, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Justice Alito Emerges as ‘America’s Privacy Cop,’ Law Prof Says

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. is now “America’s privacy cop,” a law professor asserts. Writing for the Washington Post, George Washington University law professor Jeffrey Rosen notes that Alito was the lone dissenter supporting community standards of decency in two First Amendment cases. In the most recent case, Snyder v.…

Mar 8, 2011 12:00 PM CST