People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a lawsuit in May accusing Feld Entertainment, Inc. of hiring former CIA deputy director Clair E. George to illegally spy on the organization. Feld Entertainment owns the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Circus.
In 2001 PETA sued Feld Entertainment for the return of documents that PETA claimed were stolen from the animal rights organization. PETA attorney Phil Hirschkop told The New York Times that, without admitting wrongdoing, Feld and others handed over about two dozen documents. Those documents may have been obtained from a former employee of PETA’s, but under Virginia law they are protected trade secrets according to PETA.
PETA’s lawsuit turns into unintentional parody when it accuses Feld entertainment of planting volunteers and employees within PETA in order to gather information on the group. What was Michelle Rokke doing at Huntingdon Life Sciences again? Apparently PETA does not appreciate being a target of its own tactics.
PETA’s lawsuit seeks up to $1.8 million in damages for the alleged spying.
Source:
Animal rights group PETA alleges spying in lawsuit against circus owner. Bob Lewis, Associated Press, June 2, 2002.
Rights group says circus spied on it. The New York Times, May 31, 2002.