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.
For the second time, the Animal Legal Defense Fund has intervened to help California defend its landmark farmed animal protection law, Proposition 12. The case will next be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Tule elk are a beloved fixture at the Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, California. But the National Park Service (NPS), the federal agency responsible for protecting them, is failing at the task — with numerous elk suffering and dying as a result of its negligence.
In 2018, the Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a federal lawsuit challenging a Missouri law that prevents plant-based meat and cultured meat producers from using “meat” terminology because their products do not come from a slaughtered animal.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against Orlando-based kitten breeder and seller, Adorable Stars, for practicing veterinary medicine without a license, animal cruelty and neglect, and contract and tort claims.
Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help v. United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Animal Legal Defense Fund joined a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s policy of exempting most factory farms from the legal requirement to report the release of hazardous materials into the environment.
Krasno v. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit on behalf of a former employee of one of UW-Madison’s primate research labs, who has been prevented from posting truthful comments on the school’s otherwise public Instagram and Facebook posts because they are critical of the university’s storied history of animal testing.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit on behalf of animal advocates who’ve been prevented from posting critical comments regarding animal experimentation on the Health and Human Services (HHS) otherwise public social media pages. The HHS is primarily charged with funding and promoting research on animals.
In May 2018, the Animal Legal Defense Fund joined a coalition of consumer, environmental, and animal protection groups opposing the withdrawal of rules that would provide basic protections for farmed animals at organic farms.
