Equine Law Blog
On October 1, 2012, a new Michigan law went into affect that has implications for certain people or businesses who engage in selling or transporting horses and livestock in Michigan. The law, HB 5784, was designed to control the spread of infectious diseases of livestock and animals in Michigan. It now requires those engaged in the buying, receiving, selling, transporting, exchanging negotiating or who solicit sale, resale, exchange, or transportation of livestock to be licensed bonded by the Michigan Department of Agriculture.
Maddie, a struggling horse trainer, made up a nasty rumor that another trainer, John, abused his horses and administered performance enhancing drugs. Maddie knew that none of this was true. The rumor spread and John's customers slowly left him. Many became Maddie's new customers.
A major difference between mortality insurance on a horse and life insurance on a human is that equine mortality policies typically expect the possibility that the insured horse can be destroyed and payment can still follow. Over the years, court battles have also arisen on the question of whether the owner’s intentional destruction was truly warranted. A discussion of some of the cases follows.
On January 9, 2013, the U.S. Department of Agriculture adopted the Animal Disease Traceability Program (ADTP). It takes effect 3/11/2013 and impacts the equine industry.
Equine liability litigation sometimes focuses on the equipment worn by a horse before an accident occurred. Some cases claim that the horse was equipped with defective reins, which caused someone (the plaintiff in the case) to be hurt. Here are two such cases.
What do you do if you believe that a professional, such as a horse trainer or veterinarian, engaged in abusive conduct.
Know the Risks
If you suspect that an equine industry professional is engaging in abusive practices, proceed very cautiously and always in good faith. Your accusations, if improperly made, could potentially destroy someone’s business and reputation. Your conduct could even generate a lawsuit against you in which a professional claims that you defamed him (through slander or libel) or improperly interfered with his business.
