Daily outrage: Owner of chimpanzee that attacked woman tries legal loophole
Staff report
October 15, 2009
What: An attorney representing the owner of a 200-pound chimpanzee that horribly mangled, disfigured and blinded a Connecticut woman in February is calling the attack a workers’ compensation case. This strategy could eliminate pain and suffering claims from Charla Nash’s $50 million lawsuit and insulate chimp owner Sandra Herold from personal liability.
What happened: The 14-year-old chimpanzee named Travis went berserk and ripped off Nash’s hands, nose, lips and eyelids after Herold had phoned her friend and neighbor to help lure the Xanax-drugged pet back in its cage. Nash — who apparently was also some sort of employee of Herold’s tow truck company — remains in stable condition at the Cleveland Clinic.
What’s next: The workers’ comp argument puts Nash’s lawyers in a quandary because they only have one year to file a workers’ compensation claim. If they fail to file that claim and lose the civil case, they could be left with no remedy.
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