Thought some of you might like to read this...I wish we would see more of this.

HSUS and Codefendants Agree to Historic $15.75 Million Settlement Posted on June 6, 2014 In a landmark settlement, Feld Entertainment, Inc., operator of the Ringling Brothers Circus, has recovered $15.75 million in attorney fees from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and their codefendants. The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed against Feld Entertainment in 2000 alleging mistreatment of federally protected Asian elephants. In order to establish “standing” to sue, the plaintiffs (HSUS, Born Free USA/Animal Protection Institute, Fund for Animals, Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), and the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and individual citizen, Tom Rider) had to show that a member of their organizations had a personal stake in the case, such as a direct personal connection with the elephants. Those groups pointed to Tom Rider as their key witness. Rider, a former elephant trainer for Feld Entertainment, submitted sworn affidavits alleging the personal connection needed to file the lawsuit. During the course of the lawsuit, Feld Entertainment uncovered evidence that some of the groups, with the assistance of their attorneys at the Meyer, Glitzenstein and Crystal law firm, were secretly paying Rider’s living expenses and had submitted false information regarding those payments. In total, the payments amounted to $190,000. In response, Feld Entertainment sued HSUS and the other groups under federal anti-racketeering laws known as the RICO Act. “Sportsmen, farmers, ranchers, and other animal owners have long understood just how far these groups will go to pursue their extremist agenda,” said Nick Pinizzotto, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance president and CEO. “Hopefully this settlement will help to rein in their underhanded ways. We’re happy to see the court dismiss this case and send a message that these sorts of tactics are not acceptable.” The court found that Rider’s testimony was motivated by the money and not a sincere interest in elephants. After more than a decade of litigation, which was prolonged because of a failure by HSUS and the other groups to disclose the payments to Rider, the case was dismissed for lack of standing. Because the case was filed under the Endangered Species Act, and armed with the court’s finding of misconduct, Feld Entertainment was able to pursue recovery of the $25 million in total they spent in attorneys’ fees to defend against this case. In late 2012, Feld reached a settlement with the ASPCA and recovered more than $9 million. This is not the first time HSUS has run into questions about their tactics. In 2011, six members of Congress called on the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the tax-exempt status of HSUS in light of the substantial amount of lobbying work the group conducts. “Conservation groups and sportsmen, who annually contribute hundreds of millions of dollars toward protection of wildlife resources across the globe, rely on sound science when it comes to managing wildlife,” said Pinizzotto. “It is unfortunate that so-called ‘animal rights’ groups try to accomplish their extremist goals through rhetoric, deception and even illegal activity as was the situation in the Feld Entertainment case. This makes it easier for mainstream America to differentiate between the groups that truly have the best interest of wildlife in mind and those who will stop at nothing to accomplish their radical agendas.”

Karl

Awesome!

The only thing in life that can't change is the TRUTH! Great news!!

Great win for the good guys in exposing them.

In 2003, after the Rodeo-Chediski fire near Show Low, AZ, my wife and her sister went up from Phoenix on their own to help with all the pets found wandering around, many with injuries.
My wife and her sister would help washing the pets, cleaning them, looking for an ID, treating their minor wounds, giving comfort to the animals, etc.
HSUS had a trailer set up next to where the volunteers (not HSUS) were working with the pets. All day long, the HSUS bigwigs would lie low in their air-conditioned trailer while the real workers were working outside in the heat and dirt and dazed, lost, and sometimes injured animals.
The HSUS folks had observers stationed on the highway approaches to the pet aid area. When a TV crew was approaching, the observers would call the folks in the trailers. Out they would rush, roll up their sleeves, grab a pet or two, splash some water and dirt on themselves, and act like they had been slaving away on the animal's behalf.
The TV crew would arrive, the HSUS folks would give an self-serving interview about all the hard work they had been doing on the animal's behalf, and make a plea for donations.
When the TV crew left, the HSUS folks would make a bee line for their air-conditioned trailers and disappear inside until just before the next TV crew arrived.
This was the pattern for the three days my wife and her sister were there.

quote:

...The court found that Rider’s testimony was motivated by the money and not a sincere interest in elephants. ...

wow. courts almost never do that.