In a victory for sportsmen everywhere, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) Foundation came to the aid of a Maryland nuisance trapper in a precedent setting case. On Oct. 27, a judge denied an injunction sought by the animal rights plaintiffs to prevent the trapper from resuming lawful trapping activities.
Counsel for the U.S. Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) was on hand to help represent defendant Michael Adcock of Queenstown in Thursday’s hearing in the Montgomery Co. Circuit Court. The Maryland Humane Society and five area residents contended that Adcock, a licensed nuisance trapper working on contract to take nuisance coyotes in the Fallsgrove community of Rockville, Maryland, was in violation of the terms and conditions of the license issued to him by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Representatives of the Maryland DNR were present to testify for the defendant.
Judge Louise Scrivener of the Montgomery Co. circuit court denied the injunction to extend a temporary restraining order issued last week by another Montgomery Co. circuit court judge. Judge Scrivener ruled that the plaintiffs were unlikely to prevail on the merits of the case if the case went to trial.
“If the anti’s who brought the case were allowed to prevail, it would have set a dangerous precedent for hunters, anglers and trappers in Maryland and all over the country,” commented William Horn, USSA Foundation Legal Counsel. “Their attempt to rewrite the trapping laws of Maryland to further their anti-animal use agenda was easily identified and dismissed by the judge.”
Adcock’s company, Adcock Wildlife Management, had been hired by a Fallsgrove homeowner’s association to remove coyotes that were becoming a dangerous nuisance to residents. Before the temporary restraining order was issued Adcock had trapped 14 coyotes in the area.
“I can’t thank the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation enough,” said Adcock after the hearing, “If it weren’t for their attorneys, the decision wouldn’t have fallen in my favor.”
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund is the nation’s only litigation force that exclusively represents sportsmen’s interests in the courts. It defends wildlife management and sportsmen’s rights in local, state and federal courts. The SLDF represents the interests of sportsmen and assists government lawyers who have little or no background in wildlife law.
http://www.ussportsmen.org
Counsel for the U.S. Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) was on hand to help represent defendant Michael Adcock of Queenstown in Thursday’s hearing in the Montgomery Co. Circuit Court. The Maryland Humane Society and five area residents contended that Adcock, a licensed nuisance trapper working on contract to take nuisance coyotes in the Fallsgrove community of Rockville, Maryland, was in violation of the terms and conditions of the license issued to him by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Representatives of the Maryland DNR were present to testify for the defendant.
Judge Louise Scrivener of the Montgomery Co. circuit court denied the injunction to extend a temporary restraining order issued last week by another Montgomery Co. circuit court judge. Judge Scrivener ruled that the plaintiffs were unlikely to prevail on the merits of the case if the case went to trial.
“If the anti’s who brought the case were allowed to prevail, it would have set a dangerous precedent for hunters, anglers and trappers in Maryland and all over the country,” commented William Horn, USSA Foundation Legal Counsel. “Their attempt to rewrite the trapping laws of Maryland to further their anti-animal use agenda was easily identified and dismissed by the judge.”
Adcock’s company, Adcock Wildlife Management, had been hired by a Fallsgrove homeowner’s association to remove coyotes that were becoming a dangerous nuisance to residents. Before the temporary restraining order was issued Adcock had trapped 14 coyotes in the area.
“I can’t thank the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation enough,” said Adcock after the hearing, “If it weren’t for their attorneys, the decision wouldn’t have fallen in my favor.”
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund is the nation’s only litigation force that exclusively represents sportsmen’s interests in the courts. It defends wildlife management and sportsmen’s rights in local, state and federal courts. The SLDF represents the interests of sportsmen and assists government lawyers who have little or no background in wildlife law.
http://www.ussportsmen.org