Articles Archive

New Kentucky Law Allows Veterinarians to Report Animal Cruelty

Kentucky has amended its law prohibiting veterinarians from reporting suspected animal cruelty. Advocates worked for years to change this law, which had good intentions regarding personal privacy but unintended consequences for animal victims of abuse.

July 9, 2020 Animal Law Update

West Virginia State Police Enters Settlement with Woman Who Protected Family Dog

Today the Animal Legal Defense Fund announced a settlement agreement with the West Virginia State Police, State Trooper Seth Cook, and Colonel C.R. “Jay” Smithers, in a lawsuit filed after Tiffanie Hupp intervened when Officer Cook drew his gun and aimed it at the family dog, Buddy.

July 8, 2020 Press Release

Whistleblowers Sought as COVID-19 Ravages Industrial Animal Agriculture Industry

A series of billboards, in English and Spanish, are launching near slaughterhouses across the country — offering an online tip portal where industrial animal agriculture workers can report any concerns. Joaquin Phoenix partnered with the Animal Legal Defense Fund in offering and promoting ReportAnimalAg.com to allow individuals to remain anonymous.

July 6, 2020 Press Release

New White Paper Identifies Root Causes of Zoonotic Disease: Animal Exploitation

The Animal Legal Defense Fund, the preeminent legal advocate for animals, released the first in a series of white papers providing policy recommendations to reduce our heightened risk from zoonotic diseases like COVID-19 and the next global pandemic, which need only a human-animal interaction to arise.

June 30, 2020 Press Release

Court Greenlights First Amendment Case Against California Department of Food and Agriculture

The Animal Legal Defense Fund announced that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has denied the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed on behalf of Miyoko’s Creamery (Miyoko’s).

June 26, 2020 Press Release

COVID-19 Policy Recommendations

Pandemics have not only been predicted, they are also preventable. While the country continues to fight COVID-19, we must also prepare for — with the intention to prevent — the next pandemic. The Animal Legal Defense Fund is developing a series of papers, each outlining policy strategies calibrated to reduce specific zoonotic risks.

Legal Resource

2020 Advancement of Animal Law Scholarship Recipients

The Animal Legal Defense Fund Advancement of Animal Law Scholarships are awarded to law student members of our student chapters based upon demonstrated commitment to the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission, “to advance the interests and protect the lives of animals through the legal system.”

June 23, 2020 Student Chapters