Tag: Matthew Penzer

Judge Tosses Out 'Happy Cows' Ad Lawsuit

A California Superior Court Judge recently threw out a lawsuit filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals against the California Milk Advisory Board over the latter’s “Happy Cows” ad.

Now you’d think that given all of the outrageous nonsense that PETA puts out there in advertisements, that it would not want to go around throwing stones at other ads. But PETA decided to sue on the grounds that California cows really aren’t very happy at all.

PETA legal counsel Matthew Penzer told the Associated Press,

Ads that try to get you to believe that cows are happy when they’re really miserable should not be allowed just because they are sponsored by the government. Whether it comes from the government or from industry, it is wrong to boost sales by deceiving the public.

I.e., do as PETA says, not as it does.

The judge through out the lawsuit on the grounds that as a government entity the California Milk Advisory Board is exempt from false advertisement laws.

Source:

Court throws out animal-rights suit against ‘Happy Cows’ ad. Associated Press, March 27, 2003.

PETA Says It Will Sue New Jersey Over Deer/Car Accident

On November 16, 2001 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals activists Dan Shannon and Jay Kelly hit a deer while traveling in an automobile owned by PETA. PETA’s legal counsel, Matthew Penzer, last week faxed a notice to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife declaring their intent to sue the state of New Jersey for contributing to the accident through their deer management practices.

In a press release, PETA outlined its legal strategy,

PETA argues that by placing the interests of hunters, who amount to barely more than 1 percent of New Jersey’s population, above the safety of the more than 8 million New Jersey residents and countless out-of-state travelers who use the roads, wildlife agencies are violating the state’s constitutional mandate to provide protection and security to its people. PETA also opposes the fear, the disruption of herd members’ relationships, and the bloodshed suffered by deer on grounds of cruelty to animals.

In a letter to Bob McDowell, director of New Jersey’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, Penzer wrote that,

. . . shortly before 1 o’clock in the morning on that date [Nov. 16, 2001], while driving a Honda Civic belonging to PETA (and while returning from a PETA campaigning tour) southbond on the New Jersey Turnpike, a deer darted out in front of the car and a collision resulted. . . . Damage to the car was severe, resulting in a repair bill that exceeded $6,000.00 and loss of use of the car for nearly two months. The total amount of damages is, as yet, unkown.

The best way to describe this is frivolous.

Source:

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