The Litigation Program files high-impact lawsuits against individuals and industries that exploit animals, including factory farms, puppy mills, research laboratories, and roadside zoos. We litigate cases in state and federal courts with the goal of stopping abusive practices and setting ground-breaking precedent that will establish justice for animals in the legal system. In addition to suing animal abusers, we often sue state and federal governments and agencies to invalidate laws and regulations that harm animals; and we intervene in litigation to defend animal protection laws when they are under siege from industries that abuse animals.
Animal Legal Defense Fund v Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin
The Animal Legal Defense Fund sued to compel the University of Wisconsin-Madison to disclose public records concerning taxpayer-funded experiments on newborn monkeys.
Michael Sandlin and Tiger Truck Stop, Inc. v. State of Louisiana …., Through Its Secretary Robert J. Barham, Attorney General of the State of Louisiana, James D. "Buddy" Caldwell, and Iberville Parish Through Its President, J. Mitchell Ourso, JR.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund intervened in Tiger Truck Stop’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the big cat ban so that we could both defend the big cat ban and challenge the special law exempting Tiger Truck Stop from the ban.
Devil’s Garden Preservation Group v Amanda McAdams
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit to stop the U.S. Forest Service from eliminating thousands of acres of protected territory, and rounding up as much as 80 percent of the wild horses.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund sued the City of Livingston California for unlawfully withholding records about water usage at a Foster Farms slaughterhouse and processing plant.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a motion to dismiss Manning Beef’s meritless lawsuit against Los Angeles Cow Save for exercising their first amendment right to protest.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed two amicus briefs in support of a lawsuit brought by a Los Angeles resident and taxpayer to end the abuse of three elephants at the Los Angeles Zoo.
Cathy Breaux, et al. V. Samuel B. Haynes, Jr., et al.
In 2015, the Animal Legal Defense Fund sued Dixie Landin’, an amusement park in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, under the Endangered Species Act for its mistreatment of a 50-year-old chimpanzee named Candy.
Public Interest Coalition v California Fish and Game Commission
The Animal Legal Defense Fund sued the CA Fish and Game Commission, challenging the agency’s decision to allow hunters to outfit hunting dogs with GPS tracking devices and “treeing switches" without doing required environmental testing.