The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington certified to the Washington Supreme Court that the question of whether violations of the state animal cruelty law and state and federal wildlife laws, including the Endangered Species Act, can suffice as predicates for public nuisance causes of action. The decision comes as a result of litigation brought by the Animal Legal Defense Fund in which the advocacy organization alleges that the Olympic Game Farm is violating the Endangered Species Act and state animal laws by failing to provide adequate care to captive wildlife at the Sequim, Washington roadside zoo.
[To accompany Federal Court Case Law Update "Federal Court Certifies Question of Whether Animal Protection Law Violations May Serve as Predicates for Public Nuisance Cases" from Brooks Animal Law Digest Issue No. 154.]