Ridiculous animal lawsuits clog our legal system, waste valuable time and resources and cost taxpayers untold millions of dollars. Some lawsuits are so ridiculous that there is no sane way to comprehend that they ever made it through the court system!
“Although we will not participate in ‘ridiculous’ animal lawsuits, we realize that these nuisance suits do happen to make their way into our legal system,” said Thomas Bumgardner of Ballantyne Legal. “Sometimes we have to just sit back and let things happen while we watch from the sidelines!”
The Best Ridiculous Animal Lawsuits
Ridiculous Animal Lawsuit #1: In 2008 in Macedonia, a wild bear was sued by a beekeeper for breaking into his hives and stealing honey. The beekeeper reportedly tried to drive the bear away by making lots of noise and lighting up the area, but these attempts failed. In Macedonia, it is illegal to shoot a bear, so the beekeeper could not take that measure to protect his hives.
VERDICT: The beekeeper won the case and the state was required to pay him $3,500 in damages since the state law prevented the bear from being shot. The bear could not be reached for comment.
“You may have trouble getting any payment from this type of case in North Carolina since it is legal to shoot a bear caught in the act of destroying personal property,” added Bumgardner.
Ridiculous Animal Lawsuit #2: In 2009, a New York woman was fined for leaving her car running in a no idling zone. But in this case, the animals actually saved her from paying a fine. The woman appealed the fine by saying that she left her car running so that her snakes, needed for her belly dancing act, would not fall asleep in a cold car. If the snakes fell asleep, they would be too sleepy to rouse for her impending show.
VERDICT: The woman won the appeal and did not have to pay a fine because the court ruled that the snakes were a reasonable reason to leave her car running.
Ridiculous Animal Lawsuit #2: In 2003, a pet parrot managed to escape from its’ owner’s Virginia home through a broken screen door. The homeowner frantically called animal shelters to find his missing bird. Time passed and eventually the man learned that a nearby animal shelter had recently helped a lady adopt a parrot similar to his.
The man used public information to track down the lady who had adopted the bird. When he snooped around her house, he saw the parrot inside and knew it was his.
His lawsuit included $15,000 for the pain and suffering only if he could put the parrot on the stand and let him talk.
VERDICT: The case was dismissed and the parrot remained silent.
While we do not pursue ridiculous animal lawsuits, we do help everyday homeowners and residents with their legal issues and challenges. If you feel like you need professional legal assistance, please contact us at Ballantyne Legal at (704) 870-4779 or contact us. We want to help you stand up for what’s fair.