A Battered Horse Sues Its Former Owner

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

A horse in Oregon is suing its previous owner for negligence.

Yes, just as they read it. A horse is suing its former owner.

An 8-year-old horse named Justice is demanding justice after suffering during the years he lived under the Shadow name.

After undergoing a physical examination, the vet determined that the horse was 300 pounds underweight, his black coat was dotted with lice, and his skin was still covered in scabs, according to The Oregonian. The previous owner, who left the horse out and malnourished, pleaded guilty to criminal negligence last year.

The Justice case is the most recent example of courts recognizing animals in the court of law, according to The Washington Post.

Now, Justice has filed the lawsuit under his new name in county court and is seeking damages. To be more exact, the Litigation Director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund was the one who technically filed the lawsuit on behalf of Justice.

"The few previous attempts - including a recent high-profile case on whether a monkey can own copyright - have failed, and judges have ruled in various ways that nonhumans lacked the legal capacity to sue," according to The Washington Post. "But the Justice case, the animal defense attorneys behind it argue, is based on court decisions and statutes that give it a stronger opportunity, particularly in a state with some of the most progressive animal protection laws in the country.".

"Many efforts have been made to try to ensure that animals are not only protected, but have the right to go to court when their rights are violated," said Liebman, Liebman said horses can sue people in the state of Oregon. In fact, in 2014, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that animals can be victims of crimes in their own right, according to ABC News.