Racketeering Lawsuit Fingers Humane Society of the United States

Multi-Million Dollar Animal Rights Group Accused Of Corruption; Lawsuit Available At HumaneWatch

Washington - In a landmark RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) lawsuit certain to have far-reaching implications for the animal rights movement, Feld Entertainment and the Ringling Brothers circus sued the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), its lawyers, and several other animal rights groups last week. The nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) unearthed the lawsuit in federal court records today. CCF is making the lawsuit available online at its newest website, www.HumaneWatch.org

"America's farmers, ranchers, hunters, fishermen, research scientists, fashion designers, and restaurateurs have seen for decades how the animal rights movement can behave like a mobbed-up racket," said CCF Director of Research David Martosko. "But it's still shocking to see the evidence laid out on paper. In a treble-damage lawsuit like this, a jury could actually do the humane thing and finally put HSUS out of business completely."

In its February 16 lawsuit, Feld leveled bribery, fraud, obstruction of justice, and money laundering charges against HSUS and two of its corporate attorneys; three other animal rights groups; the Washington, DC law firm of Meyer Glitzenstein & Crystal; and all three of that firm's named partners. On December 30, 2009, Federal Judge Emmitt Sullivan ruled that these defendants collaborated to pay more than $190,000 to Mr. Tom Rider, a former Feld employee who was an elephant "barn helper" for two years in the late 1990s, in exchange for his impeached testimony against Feld in an earlier lawsuit-testimony Judge Sullivan declared "not credible" and disregarded in its entirety. That lawsuit was dismissed.

Feld is also suing Mr. Rider, and a nonprofit "Wildlife Advocacy Project" charity, claiming that Meyer Glitzenstein & Crystal used it to funnel money from their plaintiff clients to Mr. Rider. These clients included the Fund for Animals, which merged with HSUS in 2004.

"The new HumaneWatch website is the only place the public will be able to read this lawsuit," Martosko added. "We're publishing a treasure trove of information about the Humane Society of the United States, including lots of surprising documents that HSUS would rather remain hidden from its contributors."

Last week CCF launched www.HumaneWatch.org ,an online watchdog project dedicated to analyzing HSUS's activities and keeping the group honest. It includes a blog, an interactive document library, and a growing body of information about HSUS-related organizations and staff.

The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers, working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices.

Its about time someone used the same legal tactics on these radical weierdo groups that they use to harrass others. If HSUS had their way, we would all be vegitarians with no leather belts, shoes or harness.

By now PETA has pretty much taken over HSUS and they are pulling the strings. Peta has the people and HSUS has the money, bad combo.

YAY!!!!!

Thanks Koty, for enlightening us. The humane society, along with PETA have caused numerous problems in this area. Many of us would love to see them squelched.

I thought that this might make a lot of folks pretty happy.

Wonder if we could use RICO against various governmental departments?

Well....AWESOME!!! Even though I worked for two county Humane Society shelters, I've become increasingly concerned with their direction over the last decade. And as a circus fan I've been totally against the continued harrassment by HSUS of all circuses not just RBBB. It's good knowing HSUS is finally getting 'reined in'!

It's about time. Unfortunately, the public is so snowed that the HSUS and similar groups are the good guys, that most people wouldn't dare punish the puppy huggers. Oh what I wouldn't give to be on that jury.

HSUS is overtly targeting Ohio right now and we expect to start seeing LOTS of hideous footage on TV. I'm happy to hear the ugly truth about HSUS is coming out and folks are fighting back.
It's not even only what HSUS is doing to hurt animal agriculture that's bad, but that they paint all livestock keepers as abusers in the eyes of an unknowing and sentimental public.

The HSUS tends to "export" their successes. They helped get an onerous Dog Law passed in Pennsylvania, which is currently totally destroying the dog breeding industry in the State. They have exported that to Wisconsin and Ohio. Their successes with the chicken battery cages in California, is soon to reappear in Pennsylvania. All hurt animal agriculture. Everyone in every state needs to keep vigil for them.

Basically the HSUS is NOT a animal shelter. They dont own a shelter or give a cent to poor orphan animals. What they have is a name. The name seems to make everyone think they are somehow affiliated with your local animal shelter.

I have not been keeping up with them but it used to be a decade ago totally evil what they did. They basically say they use their money to "inform and educate" the public which is another way of explaining they use their money in advertising or high medis situations to get more money, and to give their top execs 400k saleries and multiple houses and anything else they can extract from the hsus.

One of their stragities since 2000, since they teamed with PETA has been to target one state and to pay off the right people, to shove animal rights legislation through. They DO have the money, one of the biggest non-profits in the world expecially for animals.

...and we all know now-a-days laws are not what people demand or want but are bought and paid for by big corporation/lobbists. I doubt if anything will happen because the people investigating are just as corrupt. It nevertheless irritates me what I see them and their VISA or other crap where I see them totally scamming public, lil old ladies, ect outta their money thinking it will actually go to feed and house animals.