US District Court Dramatically Narrows Issues in Seven-Year-Old Lawsuit

    VIENNA, Va., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week the US
 District Court in Washington, DC granted partial summary judgment to Feld
 Entertainment, parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey(R)
 Circus, in a meritless lawsuit filed years ago by various animal rights
 groups. The Court's ruling dramatically narrowed the scope of the lawsuit
 by finding that none of Feld Entertainment's Asian elephants born in the
 United States are subject to the plaintiffs' claims in this case. The
 ruling validates the arguments that Feld Entertainment has consistently
 made about its conservation program and dramatically reduced the
 plaintiffs' case.
 
     "We are pleased that the Court ruled many of the Asian elephants in our
 care are not covered by the plaintiffs' unfounded claims," stated Feld
 Entertainment General Counsel Jerry Sowalsky. "We are proud of our efforts
 to preserve the endangered Asian elephant and look forward to proving our
 animal care practices are the best in the world."
 
     The Court also sided with Feld Entertainment on its claims that
 plaintiffs unjustifiably withheld important documents and information about
 this case and granted Feld Entertainment access to the majority of items
 that plaintiffs had withheld. The Court also agreed with Feld
 Entertainment's "valid concerns" about security and animal safety for the
 elephant inspection that the plaintiffs sought, finding that parameters
 needed to be set prior to any inspection.
 
     Finally, the Court ruled on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt
 Organizations Act (RICO) and Conspiracy Counterclaim sought by Feld
 Entertainment against the plaintiffs. The Court said that given that the
 issues in this case "have been narrowed" and that the case is "winding
 down," filing the counterclaim at this time would unduly complicate this
 seven-year-old case by injecting into it a claim involving an "elaborate
 corruption scheme" on the part of the plaintiffs. The Court did not comment
 on the merits of the claim and denied the plaintiffs' assertion that the
 RICO and conspiracy allegations were frivolous. Feld Entertainment will
 pursue its RICO and conspiracy case against the animal rights groups in a
 separate lawsuit.
 
     Feld Entertainment is the world's leading producer of live family
 entertainment and the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey,
 Disney On Ice, Disney Live! and most recently Doodlebops Live! The
 company's spectaculars have toured in 178 US cities, 50 countries and on
 six continents, and are seen by millions of people each year.
 
     More information about Feld Entertainment is available online at
 http://www.feldentertainment.com. Additional information on the company's
 conservation efforts and the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant
 Conservation(R) can found at http://www.elephantcenter.com.
 
 
 
 
 

SOURCE Feld Entertainment, Inc.