The “Chimp Crazy” authorized saga continues.
On Wednesday, PETA filed a brand new movement in its case towards Tonia Haddix citing occasions captured within the HBO docuseries as proof. The animal rights group is in search of an order to require Haddix and his alleged accomplices to show they haven’t violated earlier court docket orders or dedicated perjury in previous proceedings.
Premiering in August, the four-episode “Chimp Crazy” adopted Haddix, an animal dealer who took over the now-defunct Missouri Primate Foundation amid an ongoing authorized battle with PETA over the custody of a number of chimpanzees.
In its new submitting within the Eastern District of Missouri, PETA argues that “Chimp Crazy” gives new proof of circumstances during which Haddix lied and defied court docket orders, in addition to confessions. The movement contains timestamps from every episode indicating situations that the group says present Haddix violated court docket orders, together with these barring her from relocating the chimpanzees herself, by sharing particulars concerning the time and date of the chimpanzees’ relocation court-ordered animals or document any video of those transfers. According to PETA’s movement, even the presence of a recording machine was not permitted throughout court docket hearings.
“The Endangered Species Act … can’t operate as Congress supposed, and within the method this Court has vindicated, within the shadow of such contempt that it’s inadequately addressed,” the movement states. “Haddix so publicly disobeying this Court after which benefiting from his disobedience by sharing it with a nationwide viewers will solely incentivize future defendants to interact in related misconduct until this Court decisively intervenes.”
Haddix couldn’t instantly be reached for remark.
Among the outrageous occasions captured in “Chimp Crazy” is Haddix showing in a digital listening to to testify that she had nothing to do with the disappearance of Tonka, a chimpanzee she had falsely claimed was useless. The sequence depicts how Haddix kidnapped and hid Tonka to stop him from being despatched to an animal shelter as ordered.
Eventually, Tonka was discovered and faraway from Haddix’s custody and positioned in a sanctuary. Haddix was ordered in 2022 to pay greater than $220,000 to PETA for authorized charges and different prices incurred within the case. At that point, the court docket referred Haddix and her husband, Jerry Aswegan, to the U.S. Attorney for a felony investigation, however to this point they haven’t but been charged with any crimes associated to the “Chimp Crazy” case. (Aswegan couldn’t instantly be reached for remark.)
According to PETA, the notoriety Haddix has gained from being featured in docuseries — together with the “Saturday Night Live” parody — has allowed her to capitalize on her “flagrant disobedience” of court docket orders by means of merchandising and different alternatives now obtainable because of you. celebrities and reveals his “obvious effort to monetize their misconduct.”
PETA additionally alleges that “Chimp Crazy” implicates Aswegan, in addition to Missouri Primate Foundation founder Connie Casey and Cy Viestra, a former supervisor of a roadside zoo in Ohio, as Haddix’s accomplices. (Viestra was convicted of stealing cash from the municipality the place he labored to finance his facility.)
The movement additionally contains PETA’s request that the court docket enable the group to collect extra proof associated to the “Chimp Crazy” revelations. Should the court docket discover Haddix and his alleged accomplices in contempt, PETA is in search of applicable sanctions and restoration of prices related to the brand new submitting.
