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.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against a West Virginia State Police trooper for violating Tiffanie Hupp’s civil rights and breaking West Virginia law by nearly shooting a tied-up dog, and then arresting Hupp for saving the dog.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund and the American Wild Horse Campaign filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Forest Service’s plans to round up and sell horses living in the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory in northeast California’s Modoc National Forest.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit to compel the disclosure of public records regarding invasive experiments on cats and kittens conducted by the State University of New York College of Optometry.
Public Interest Coalition v California Fish and Game Commission – Lawsuits filed in 2016 and 2018
The Animal Legal Defense Fund sued the CFGC, again, challenging the agency’s decision to allow hunters to outfit hunting dogs with GPS tracking devices and “treeing switches" without doing required environmental testing.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund is providing assistance for a lawsuit filed against the Army over plans to evict roughly 700 wild horses from a western Louisiana Army base and national forest areas.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against Barbour County, Alabama, to compel the county to abide by a state law requiring the county to maintain a pound for the holding of dogs, cats and ferrets, and to employ an impounding officer.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a class action lawsuit against pet store chain Barkworks, on behalf of puppy purchasers harmed by the company’s illegal and deceptive practices in selling puppy mill dogs.
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.
