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Federal Lawsuit against SHARK, Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, is Dismissed!

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A Federal Judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness) by the Philadelphia Gun Club (PGC.)   Judge Marilyn Heffley dismissed the suit late yesterday.
SHARK has always maintained this case was baseless, and yesterday the Court agreed, finding the PGC’s claim that we violated a federal statute was based on nothing more than their own “sheer conjecture” and unsupported by any evidence.
 The PGC and eight of its members,  filed suit in U.S. District Court  against SHARK and five of its members (Steve Hindi, President, Brandon Bohn, Stuart Chaifetz, Michael David Kobliska, and Janet Enoch) over an alleged campaign of “harassment, hounding, intimidation, trespass, invasion of privacy and intrusion” against the plaintiffs as well as club staff and members’ relatives, friends and businesses associates.

The defendants were accused of taking actions against the PGC in part because it conducts live pigeon shoots where the live birds are shot, injured, maimed and killed.    SHARK was being sued for damages in excess of $150,000.

The lawsuit contained accusations of “libel, defamation, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, tortious interference with prospective economic relations and tortious interference with existing contractual relations.”

The plaintiffs involved with this case were Leo Holt, Edward Bruce DiDonato, Jordan Irving, Clark Travers, Karl Natriello, William Comly, Carl Badenhausen and John Ross.

The PGC is located on the riverfront in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.   SHARK is known for documenting live pigeon shoots in Pennsylvania and specifically at the PGC since 2009.   In addition to their videos with the PGC,  SHARK has also rescued numerous injured pigeons that have fallen to the shoreline and into the river.

 “We said from the start that the PGC’s lawsuit was frivolous and it has been proven to be so,” states SHARK President Steve Hindi.  “The pigeon shooters thought they could use their wealth to harass and suppress us, but they have failed.”
The lawsuit has failed to stop SHARK with their continued efforts to document live pigeon shoots near the PGC.   Because of their videos,  animal cruelty charges were filed against a PGC worker on January 30th, 2016.
 “We know that the pigeon shooter community looked to this lawsuit as a means to shut SHARK down so they could continue wounding and killing thousands of innocent birds, but it has backfired,” states Hindi.

Comments

  1. The club claims they were harassed. If that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black. The case seems so absurd considering that these killers destroy live pigeons for the sheer fun of it! Trucking in loads of birds to kill. How insane does that sound to a sane person? They are the ones who are harassing innocent birds for the fun of it. Glad the federal judge could see through the mockery of this lawsuit.

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  2. I recognize the good work SHARK does but I think they can be intrusive. Not saying they should of lost but I don’t think it’s always right to be in your face like they are. Sometimes, you can get more accomplished by working with than against someone or group.

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  3. I hate the Philadelphia Gun Club for holding live pigeon shoots. They’re cruel and inhumane and need to stop. What kind of people enjoy injuring or killing live pigeons? It’s sick. They also hold live pigeon shoots at Winge Pointe hunting club in Berks County, PA where SHARK also videotapes them. Good for you SHARK!!! I hope we see the end of these shoots soon!

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  6. The PDC deserve to lose that lawsuit. They are the ones who do the harassing and the intimidating and not the other way around. Justice has been served in this case for once.

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