Miller, Griffin & Marks, P.S.C.

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Treatment of Horses

Wagner v. Department of Agriculture, (3rd Cir. 1994). (withdrawn)
Petition for review of finding of the Department of Agriculture that the petitioners had mistreated horse, which determination was made on affidavits of veterinarians, denied.

RRR Farms, Ltd. v. American Horse Protection Ass'n, 957 S.W. 2d 121 (Tex. App. 1997).
The American Horse Protection Association engaged in lengthly discussions and even litigation with the Department of Agriculture to strengthen regulations designed to prohibit the practice of "soring" horses to get them to perform an exaggerated gate at horse shows. Owners of Tennessee Walking Horses sued the Association on the grounds that its activities constituted interference with prospective business advantage, malicious prosecution, abuse of process, and prima facie tort. The Texas Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's dismissal of the case because the Association was immune from suit on the basis of the Noerr-Pennington Doctrine.