Litigation Program

Filing lawsuits that set precedent and change the law for animals

We take on factory farms, puppy mills, research labs, and roadside zoos in state and federal courts — building the legal foundation for a world where animals are protected, not exploited.

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Active Legal Matters
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Victories This Year
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States Directly Impacted
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Attorneys & Legal Professionals

Fighting for animals across America

Each dot represents active litigation or a recent victory. Our cases impact dozens of states and set nationwide precedent.

Farmed Animals
Captive Animals
Companion Animals
Wildlife
Animals in Research
50+ CASES in 22+ STATES
plus dozens of cases with nationwide impact →

Three fronts in the fight for animal justice

Our litigation strategy targets the systems that enable exploitation — not just individual bad actors.

01

Suing Exploiters Directly

We file high-impact lawsuits against factory farms, puppy mills, research laboratories, and roadside zoos — the industries that profit from animal suffering.

02

Challenging Bad Law

We sue state and federal governments to invalidate laws and regulations that harm animals — from ag-gag statutes to weak enforcement of existing protections.

03

Defending Good Law

When animal protection legislation comes under attack from industry groups, we intervene to defend the laws that animals — and voters — have fought hard to secure.

All Legal Matters

Puppy Laundering RICO Class Action

Carey v. JAK's Puppies, et al.
Companion Animals
Active

Exposing Tillamook's Factory Farm Deception

Bohr v. Tillamook County Creamery Assn.
Farmed Animals
Active

Challenging Texas's Food Label Censorship Law

Turtle Island Foods v. Abbott
Farmed Animals
Victory

Shutting Down a Florida Kitten Mill

Adorable Stars Kitten Mill Litigation
Companion Animals
Victory

Challenging Yellowstone Bear World's Federal License

ALDF v. USDA (Yellowstone Bear World)
Captive Animals
Active

Challenging California's Factory Farm Gas Incentives

ALDF v. CARB (LCFS)
Farmed Animals
Active

Challenging Misleading Chicken Product Imagery

Humane Washing Litigation
Farmed Animals
Active

Forcing Tyson to Stop False Climate Claims

Tyson "Net Zero" and "Climate Smart" Beef
Farmed Animals
Victory

Challenging USDA on Beef Checkoff FOIA

ALDF v. USDA and AMS
Farmed Animals
Active

Challenging EPA Suppression of Factory Farm Pollution Data

ALDF v. EPA
Wildlife
Active
View All Legal Matters
What I saw today paints a picture a thousand words can't describe.
— Hon. Monica Zrinyi Wittig, Iowa District Court. Judge Wittig ordered more than 400 animals rescued from Cricket Hollow Zoo and transferred to sanctuaries, shut the zoo down permanently, and barred its owners from ever possessing exotic animals again. ALDF's Litigation Team successfully prosecuted the case across three lawsuits over nearly a decade.

Every case is measured in lives

Legal strategy is only as meaningful as the animals it protects. Here's the real-world impact of our litigation program.

20M+
Dogs & Cats Protected

Our companion animal precedents — from RICO actions against puppy mills to kitten mill shutdowns — will benefit more than 20 million dogs and cats in the next decade.

Billions
Farmed Animals Impacted

Our factory farming litigation — challenging deceptive marketing, fighting pollution, and defending Proposition 12 — sets precedents that will benefit billions of farmed animals.

100K+
Captive Wild Animals

Our roadside zoo and captive animal cases directly impact hundreds of animals and our victories — like Cricket Hollow Zoo — create precedent benefiting more than 100,000.

1,000+
Endangered Species

Our environmental and wildlife regulatory work challenges factory farm pollution and weak enforcement, with the potential to benefit hundreds of thousands of wild animals and over 1,000 endangered species.

Litigation Program Team

Experienced advocates dedicated to establishing justice for animals through the legal system.

Tony Eliseuson

Litigation Program Director

Amanda Howell

Managing Attorney

Christine Ball-Blakely

Senior Staff Attorney

James Erselius

Senior Staff Attorney

Cristina Kladis

Staff Attorney

Michael Swistara

Staff Attorney

Sarah Rogers

Staff Attorney

Morgan Boutillier

Staff Attorney

Christian Suarez

Litigation Fellow

Mary Naughton

Litigation Fellow

Zak Handler

Litigation Fellow

Sarah Spitler

Litigation Project Specialist

Emma McCapes

Litigation Coordinator