Posts tagged as:

animals

Last week the White House announced with some fanfare the results of federal agencies’ review of their operations to find outdated or unneeded regulations. At Cato at Liberty, I explain why many regulation-watchers are underwhelmed by the results. Mark Steyn at National Review is much funnier on the same topic, including EPA’s very belated recognition that dairy spills on farms are not actually “oil” spills, and also see his postscript on the lengths to which federal inspectors will go to catch out unlicensed use of rabbits in magic shows.

P.S. Much more from Richard Epstein at Hoover “Defining Ideas” (“Reform? What Reform?”).

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They say John Dollarhite of Nixa, Missouri “sold rabbits and guinea pigs without a license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.” Dollarhite says he can’t afford the fine and says the business was started by his son, then a child; it “made about $200 in profit from April 2008 to December 2009 from selling rabbits for $10 or $12 apiece.” [Springfield News-Leader]

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A Mississippi court of appeals “has vindicated the honor of dachshunds everywhere” by reversing a $130,000 judgment in favor of a store customer frightened by the dog’s allegedly aggressive behavior. [Penny Pinchers v. Outlaw, PDF, via Tom Freeland and Philip Thomas] More: Eugene Volokh.

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But the case of a Calgary, Alberta tire store suggests that maybe they should be [CBC]

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“A golfer whose arm was torn off by an alligator during a round of golf in South Carolina has sued the course’s owner under the novel theory that the design of the course created an alligator hazard.” [OnPoint News]

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No more class pets?

by Walter Olson on January 31, 2011

Safety trumps other things dept.: in recent years “school districts have begun adopting policies that in many cases limit or even ban animals in the classroom unless they’re part of science projects.” Among reasons cited: “potential liability concerns.” [Everett, Wash. Herald via Free-Range Kids ("What is the least dangerous, cutest thing we can outlaw next?"]

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Law school hypotheticals come to life: “Wang Han-chin, an electrician in central Taiwan, accused five neighbours of teaching their mynah, a parrot-like bird, to curse at him” with the epithet “clueless big-mouthed idiot” after he called the police on their noise. He claimed that the insults caused him emotional distress and distraction at work with resulting injury, but prosecutors found that he had not shown an adequate link between the bird and his injuries. [NineMSN via Lowering the Bar]

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As promised earlier: “Two Canadians injured in car collisions with moose in Newfoundland have filed a class-action lawsuit against the province, claiming it has not properly controlled the animal’s numbers.” [BBC]

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A Queens, N.Y. condo owner won her battle to keep her teacup terrier on the premises after a judge found that the condo board had not, as required, obtained the votes of 80 percent of unit owners before adopting a no-pet rule. “The board spent $100,000 on lawyers and the cost is now being passed on to the condo owners — roughly $4,200 apiece. ‘Nobody in the [building] is too happy with me right now because it’s costing everybody a lot of money and it’s not fair to the homeowners, I feel terrible,’ [the winner] said.” [CBS New York]

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“I guess you know your date didn’t go very well when you get sued afterward.” [Lowering the Bar; Stanislav v. Papp] Per the New York appellate court’s statement of facts:

Plaintiff was injured when she fell off a horse while on a date with defendant. She alleges that defendant was negligent in failing to properly warn her and appreciate her limited level of skill as a rider, and in failing to pay proper attention to her request that the horses proceed at a slow pace in a careful manner.

The judges, however, upheld a lower court’s dismissal of the case (citations omitted):

Plaintiff has provided no evidence or authority which supports her contention that defendant owed her a duty to insure that the horseback riding experience was safe. As a person with experience riding horses, plaintiff was aware that the risks of falling from a horse or a horse acting in an unintended manner are inherent in the sport. Defendant’s conduct was not so unique or reckless as to create an additional unanticipated risk for plaintiff.

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November 5 roundup

by Walter Olson on November 5, 2010

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A lawyer in St. John’s, Newfoundland, “says government could be held accountable for introducing moose to the province in 1912.” The giant herbivores sometimes cause serious car crashes. [Canadian Press via Karlsgodt]

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September 28 roundup

by Walter Olson on September 28, 2010

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Plague-squirrel panic!

by Walter Olson on August 6, 2010

Coyote offers a behind-the-scenes look at the safety-related closure of a California federal park to camping over the vacationer-heavy July 4 holiday.

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Lileks on Pamplona

by Walter Olson on July 16, 2010

“If the event was held in America the bull would be in the back of a pickup truck going five miles an hour, and all the runners would have to wear helmets. The bull would wear a helmet.” [Ricochet.com]

Blame the province: “A woman just west of Grande Prairie, Alta., says the province’s wildlife officers could have prevented her two miniature donkeys from being killed by a grizzly bear in May.” [CBC]

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Not the best policy

by Walter Olson on May 27, 2010

State Farm asks a family to pay for the bumper damage after its dog is run over [AFP, Ontario]

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Legalities aside, there may be a possible lesson here about not buying human food from a pet store [Beck, Drug & Device Law]

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