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.
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.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture when the agency weakened minimum standards for commercial dog breeders.
St. Louis Animal Rights Team v St. Louis Metropolitan Taxicab Commission
In 2014, the Animal Legal Defense Fund sued the St. Louis Metropolitan Taxicab Commission for failing to enforce legal regulations against the city’s horse-drawn carriage industry.
Animal Legal Defense Fund, Emily Ballus, Eileen McFall, Ph.D. and Christopher McFall v. City of Stockton; City of Stockton Animal Services Division; City of Stockton Animal Shelter; Pat Claerbout
The Animal Legal Defense Fund sued the city of Stockton, California, and Stockton Animal Services, for violation of local and state laws. The lawsuit was settled in 2015, with the Stockton animal shelter showing significant improvements.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed amicus briefs in two consolidated California cases, in which the issue at stake was whether a plaintiff could recover veterinary expenses if those expenses exceeded the market value of the animal.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a ground breaking lawsuit against a hoarder using a unique North Carolina provision, the 19A Statute, which allows citizens to bring civil charges against abusers for violating animal cruelty.
Sherman v. Kissinger; Sexton v. Brown; Brinton v. Codoni
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed an amicus brief in a Washington state case stemming from the death of a toy poodle. Our brief asked the court to hold that the plaintiffs should be entitled to recover more than a dog’s “market value.”
