Criminal Law
Defending activists
Defense of others (are animals “others”)
Animal abuse/neglect
Anti-cruelty statutes
Link between violence against animals and violence against humans
Animals as crime victims
Tort Law
Veterinary Malpractice
Recovery of loss of companionship or emotional distress damages (new developments)
Reliance on animal testing in toxic tort litigation
Employment
Using Humane Slaughter Act employment issues to protect animals
Whistleblowers
Contracts
Pet insurance
Puppy lemon laws
Enforcability of adoption/rescue group contracts restricting ownership rights
False Advertising
Products
Humane farming standards
Dairy (PETA, PCRM)
Eggs (COK)
Property
Landlord/tenant
Zoning
Nuisance barking
Hoarding
Sanctuaries
Animals as property
Guardianship
Estate Planning for Animals
Pet Trusts
Constitutional Law
Free speech for activists
Hunter harassment
Standing (focus on particular case or split-decisions)
Civil rights for vegans/vegetarians
Family Law
Prenuptual agreements
Visitation rights
Guardianship
Custody disputes
Environmental Law
Wildlife/Habitat
Water law/CWA
Land Use
Grazing
Ocean and Coastal Law
Fish (overfishing, driftnets, farm fishing)
Exotics v. Native species
Urban wildlife
Canned hunting
Non-profit law
Americans with Disabilities Act
Housing
Access for support animals
Discrimination
International
Comparing US laws to other country’s laws
CITES (Importing wildlife)
WTO decisions
Trade issues
Bushmeat
Dog/Cat fur
Animals as medicine
Whaling (native whaling/IWC)
Sonar
Federal
Enforcement/effectiveness of Humane Slaughter Act
Enforcement/effectiveness of Animal Welfare Act
Current developments in Marine Mammal Protection Act
Current developments in Endangered Species Act
Listing or delisting of animals under the ESA
Split-listing under the ESA
New legislation
Strategy
Role of activists
Welfare v. Rights
Open Government/FOIA
Farm Animals (topics above may also fit into this category)
Issues impacting how they are raised, transported, slaughtered, marketed
When are farm animals considered “companion animals”
Animals Used for Entertainment (topics above may also fit into this category)
Exotics as “pets”
Racing
Marine parks
Zoos (phasing out certain large animals)
AZA
Connection between zoos/canned hunting/ESA/CITES (are zoos educational)
Animals Used for Research (topics above may also fit into this category)
Student choice
How science impacts the development of animal law
Companion Animal Issues (topics above may also fit into this category)
Fighting
Transportation
Topics shared by Adam Karp:
Validity of preconviction forfeiture of animals where owner charged with animal cruelty
Drawing the line between potential humans, prehumans, human, and nonhuman hybrids under patent law
Practicalities and validity of personal property executions on service and non-service animals to satisfy judgments
Practicalities and validity of seizures of service and non-service animals by bankruptcy trustee
Provocation as a defense to civil and criminal liability, and dangerous dog designations in animal – animal conflicts
Animals and costs associated with their care and maintenance as tax credits or deductions
Applicability of personal injury protection, bodily injury, underinsured, and property damage provisions to motor vehicle based injury and death of various classes of animals
Traditional tribal and modern tribal legal perspectives on animals in contrast to non-tribal animal law
Defense of nonhuman animals as affirmative defense to assault, manslaughter, and murder
Resolving pet custody disputes in meretricious and non-marital, shared custody relations
Effect of preemption on local ordinances (declawing, anti-trapping)
Duty of care and nature of contractual relationship created between animal guardians and police or animal control officers who impound or seize animals following abandonment or allegations of animal cruelty or dogbite
Dignitary torts involving deceased animals
Validity of exotic-banning, breed-banning, or weight-limit dog ordinances
Existence of constitutional rights to cohabitat with nonhuman family members and the impact, if any, of such
Validity of statutes conferring absolute privilege on private citizen to kill trespassing dogs chasing livestock
Common law and statutory veterinary malpractice – what standard of care is owed to the patient?
Lack of informed consent as a cause of action in veterinary malpractice claims
Generating standard calculations or rubrics for loss of companionship and intrinsic value of companion animals
Right of visitation of animals in quarantine or impound
Legality of distress for rent by landlord in keeping tentant’s animals
Vegetarianism and veganism as tantamount to a religion under civil rights acts
Workplace discrimination based on vegetarian/vegan beliefs
Effectiveness of warranty disclaimers and limitations of liability concerning animals sold with congenital, hereditable, or contagious diseases or conditions
Transferability of dangerous dog status from one guardian to another
Recovery of veterinary medical bills in excess of fair market value
Validity of common law and statutory liens on animals
Consumer protection actions for food/food products, cosmetic products, puppy mills
Right to reimbursement by professional and nonprofessional Good Samaritans rescuing nonhuman animals
Use of animals in military
Choice of evils as criminal defense for theft to save animal lives
Liability of rescuers during emergency situations
Liability of guardians whose animals cause property damage or personal injury resulting in at-large animal colliding with motor vehicle
Liability of licensees for escape of companion animals during work at guardian’s residence or home
