Ringling Bros/Feld Entertainment Sanctioned by Court in PETA's 4-year Old Circus Spy Case

U.S. judge sanctions circus owner in animal-rights spy lawsuit

02:04 2005-12-09
A judge issued sanctions Thursday against the owner of the Ringling Bros. circus for failing to submit evidence in a timely manner to an animal-rights group that is suing him for establishing a spy operation against animal-rights groups.

The judge also ordered Kenneth Feld, chief executive and president of privately held Feld Entertainment, Inc. of Vienna, Virginia, to disclose his net worth and his most recent tax returns to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which filed the suit against Feld in Fairfax County Circuit Court.

Circuit Judge David Stitt issued the sanctions Thursday after PETA's lawyer complained about the late and incomplete disclosure of several documents sought in its lawsuit against Feld, which is scheduled to go to trial in February.

PETA, based in Norfolk, Virginia, sued Feld Entertainment more than four years ago, claiming that Feld ran an extensive corporate espionage campaign against it and other animal-rights groups. According to PETA, Feld _ which produces the Ringling circus, the defunct Siegfried and Roy show in Las Vegas, Disney on Ice and other well-known shows _ went so far as to pay millions of dollars to a former top CIA operative, Clair George, to help run its spy operation.

PETA's attorney, Philip Hirschkop said one of the documents, a 30-page document called "Ringling Bros. Long Term Animal Welfare Plan Draft ..5," was mostly blacked out before it was turned over.

The document appears to spell out the company's plan to discredit PETA and other animal-rights groups and to seek ways to undermine PETA's status as a nonprofit organization, according to non-redacted portions that were revealed during Thursday's hearing.

Stitt agreed that Feld should have turned over the documents long ago. As punishment, he ordered Feld to turn over an unredacted copy of the "animal welfare plan" by Monday and to turn over any documents related to the company's Animal Issues Department, which produced the welfare plan and whose workings had previously been undisclosed.

"Obtaining discovery (evidence) in this case has been like pulling teeth," Stitt said Thursday. "It appears the defendant is resisting discovery by all available means."

A Feld spokesperson declined comment Thursday.

In August, Feld's lawyers were ordered to pay more than $50,000 (€42,503) in fines to PETA for contempt of court. The fines were in response to what PETA says are obstructionist tactics that Feld's lawyers have employed throughout the history of the lawsuit.

Many of the documents in the case are under seal, and Stitt rejected a motion by PETA Thursday to unseal large numbers of documents and pleadings, reports AP.