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Humane Society of the United States

Controversy

In May of 2014, the HSUS and Co-defendants agreed to pay 15.75 million dollars to settle a lawsuit filed under the RICO(Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization} Act.

This lawsuit came from a decade long HSUS lawsuit against Feld Entertainment, owner of Ringling Brothers circus. Activists claimed that the circus was unlawfully harming elephants in it's care. HSUS key witness was a former Feld handler.

The HSUS lawsuit was dismissed by a US District Court in 2009 and was upheld by a US Appeals Court when a payment scheme was discovered going from plaintiffs and their lawyers to their witness.

Feld then filed a lawsuit under the RICO Act. Alleging bribery, illegal witness payments and other torts. Animal rights groups had fought for years to have the RICO lawsuit dismissed. But in July of 2012, a judge denied their request.