Animal Rights Group Files Anti-SLAPP Motion to Dismiss Perdue Lawsuit Against Free Speech

May 13, 2025, SANTA ROSA, CA -- Today the animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) filed an anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss a lawsuit by national poultry giant Perdue Foods aimed at stopping public sidewalk protests. Perdue is seeking an injunction barring DxE activists from protesting outside the home of one of their executives, Jason Arnold, Director of Operations for Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse. For years, the slaughterhouse has faced complaints of animal cruelty and abnormally high rates of pathogens . DxE activists reached out to Perdue and Arnold multiple times seeking dialogue and resorted to protests only after receiving no response.

Free speech experts say that Perdue’s lawsuit is a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, or SLAPP suit, intended to silence activists, burden them with legal fees, and intimidate them from protesting. California's anti-SLAPP statute was passed to enable defendants to quickly dismiss meritless lawsuits targeting protected activities.

“This case is exactly why the California legislature enacted the anti-SLAPP law—to prevent large, well-heeled corporations from suppressing time-honored rights of free speech and protest," said Kyla Dayton of Jeff Lewis Law, one of the attorneys representing DxE.

“Perdue’s entire business is based on the suffering and death of millions of birds, and its executives profit handsomely from it. Now, the company has hired a small army of costly lawyers seeking special protection from peaceful protests. The First Amendment does not permit this,” said Chris Carraway, staff attorney at the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project , which represents DxE animal rescuer Zoe Rosenberg in a case stemming from her rescue of four ailing chickens from Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse.

Perdue has requested a sweeping injunction, including barring protests and even congregating on public sidewalks near Mr. Arnold’s residence, preventing DxE from sharing images of Mr. Arnold, though his image is posted elsewhere online, and compelling DxE to post the order on the homepage of every website owned by DxE or its affiliated entities. Perdue’s lawsuit also seeks significant financial penalties against DxE and hefty fines for violations against anyone with notice of the order.

DxE’s anti-SLAPP motion notes that there is no law restricting residential picketing in Santa Rosa. Rather than engaging in the normal democratic process to enact such city-wide restrictions, that would apply to all protests, Perdue has sidestepped the democratic process and sued specific activists who have a specific message, to halt protests against Perdue and only Perdue. Attorneys say this violates First Amendment protections

Prior to protesting outside Mr. Arnold’s residence, DxE activists had repeatedly emailed Mr. Arnold and other company executives requesting a meeting about these findings. They received no response. Activists have also protested at the Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse dozens of times since 2018.

“For years, DxE has asked law enforcement to enforce animal cruelty laws at Perdue’s factory farms and slaughterhouse, without success. We also repeatedly requested a meeting with Perdue and protested at its business locations before resorting to residential pickets. All of these efforts have been ignored,” said DxE Lead Organizer Almira Tanner. “Both law enforcement and Perdue have motivation to act—but only to prosecute and sue activists, never to protect animals.”

DxE investigators have documented systemic animal abuse at Petaluma Poultry factory farms and its slaughterhouse, including evidence of birds who entered the slaughterhouse scalder while still conscious and were boiled alive. DxE says the findings demonstrate clear violations of California Penal Code Section 597 , which prohibits subjecting an animal to “needless suffering” or inflicting “unnecessary cruelty upon the animal.”
Perdue’s request for a preliminary injunction and DxE’s anti-SLAPP motion

Investigators with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) enter farms, slaughterhouses, and other facilities to document abuses and rescue sick and injured animals. DxE’s investigatory work has been featured in The New York Times,WIRED, and Vox . DxE activists have been subjected to FBI raids and felony prosecutions for their investigative work. In 2022, DxE activists won the first-ever acquittal in an open rescue case. Visit DxE on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and at directactioneverywhere.com.

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