Plaintiff sued for injuries she sustained. Defendants' 105-pound dog bit her. She claimed negligence. The Trial Court granted summary judgment for Defendant on a common-law negligence claim. There was no evidence that Defendants knew or had reason to know that their dog was dangerous. The dog was in the care and control of Defendant's brother. [...]
This took place in Springfield, IL, but could happen anywhere. Animal neglect investigators are asking Springfield police to take a proactive approach to a law that went into effect in January. It allows law enforcement to take temporary custody of dogs and cats without adequate shelter during severe weather conditions. The request was triggered by [...]
Will County introduces team of therapy dogs to court system The therapy dogs, according to law, cannot be seen by the jury. “We wouldn’t want a verdict because the jury liked the dog,” Glasgow said. The dogs will be out of sight but close enough for the child to pet when giving testimony. http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/12/01/will-county-introduces-team-of-therapy-dogs-to-court-system/ayev5i4/
Pet mediators are available to mediate pet disputes and mediate pet agreements when the people in dispute are willing to work with them. Pet mediators and the parties’ attorneys need to be the balancing act to keep the parties focused when the parties are fighting over pets. From the beginning, the parties need to agree [...]
Although there are no established laws on pet custody or visitation in Illinois or other states in the U.S., these issues are on the rise. Judges recognize that people have a very emotional attachment to their pets, and they are treating dogs more like children than like tables or chairs. Ten years ago, a claim [...]
In a case in which the parties to a divorce can’t agree as to who gets to keep the pet(s), or whether the other person has a right to visitation, the Court does have the authority to make a decision regarding pet possession (custody) and pet visitation. Recently the Illinois appellate court did consider the visitation [...]