Wisconsin animal rights activist
Cindy Schultz did not appreciate being mentioned as a possible suspect
in a high profile dognapping case in Milwaukee and sued the Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel, local radio host Charles Sykes, and his employer the
Journal Broadcast Group.
Unfortunately for her, a circuit
judge hearing the case summarily dismissed all charges after Schultz apparently
committed perjury and attempted to suborn the perjury of another witness.
Schultz heads an animal rights
group called the Animal Lobby and is a political operative who worked
on the campaigns of a variety of state and national political candidates.
Schultz was initially charged
in the theft of two dogs, but the charges were later dismissed; Schultz
denies she was involved in the theft. Before the libel trial a former
friend of Schultz’s, Clary Engel, came forward to claim that Schultz had
asked him to lie about where she was on the day the dogs were stolen and
that Schultz had once asked him to steal the dogs.
Schultz denied that she asked
Engel to lie, but unfortunately for her Engel still had copies of typewritten
“scripts” that Schultz had written illustrating how Engel should answer
questions at trial. Schultz lamely argued that although she had indeed
typed up scripts for Schultz, she wasn’t suborning perjury because everything
in the scripts was true. This despite the fact that one of the typed scripts
instructed Engel to testify that he had never discussed his testimony
with Schultz.
In dismissing the civil suit,
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Francis Wasielewski said Schultz had tried
to commit a “fraud on the court.”
[Schultz] . . . gave this court the impression of evasiveness
on several occasions. . . . Sometimes she avoided questions posed by answering
other questions. . . . She seemed to duck questions with feigned confusion.
Overall, she didn’t give this court the impression of being forthcoming
in testifying and of being someone who wanted to aid in a search for the
truth.
Schultz’s lawsuit, aimed she
said at recovering damages for her ruined reputation, could end up costing
her even more. Because of the alleged perjury, the defense attorneys are
now planning a motion to force Schultz to pay all of the defendant’s legal
fees, which a defense lawyer described as being “substantial.”
Reference:
Animal
rights activist’s suit tossed out. Jessica McBride, Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel, January 21, 2000.