Mark LongoAlmost a year after the death of Peanut the Squirrel took the internet by storm, his owners are going after the state of New York and pursuing a huge payout in the form of damages.
The death of Peanut and his racoon friend Fred has already caused legislative change within New York state, with the aptly-named “Peanut’s Law” giving animals due process before they’re euthanized.
However, for the owners of these pets, legislative change wasn’t enough. The lives of their animals can’t just get brought back because of a law implemented months after it happened.
So, they’re suing the state of New York for $10 million in damages.
Peanut’s owners go after New York state in massive lawsuit
According to legal documents secured by the New York Post, they’re seeking $10 million for what they’re calling a “senseless act of violence” from the DEC, saying that the way their animals were treated was unlawful.
Owning a racoon or a squirrel is still illegal in the state of New York, and the couple of Mark Longo and Daniela Bittner that’s suing the state isn’t arguing against that. The suit is purely over how the animals were treated.
At the time, officers claimed the animals had to be euthanized because they were attacked when entering the home. However, both animals tested negative for rabies, which was the main fear that DEC agents had in getting bit.
They claim the deaths of Peanut and Fred were an “obscene demonstration of government abuse,” a sentiment that’s mirrored in an entirely different lawsuit against Chemung County, the city of Elmira, and 36 different people who were involved with the DEC’s activity against Peanut and Fred. This couple is throwing the book at everyone.
It remains to be seen which side the court favors in these lawsuits, but the couple affected can at least take solace in the fact that legislative change has already been made as a result of the incident.
