Gloria Allred Trifecta: Speaks out on Hero-dog Target, Meg Whitman, Virginia Thomas

By Chris Yandek in CY Celebrities CY Interviews CY Law CY What's Happening November 19, 2010

Yesterday we brought you the story of a hero-dog named Target, who was purportedly euthanized by mistake at an Arizona animal shelter. Target had been featured on Oprah for having saved 50 soldiers from a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. You heard a first hand account from Target’s owner, Sgt. Terry Young, as well as an interview with Robert Misseri, president of Guardians of Rescue, who met Target at JFK airport, in New York City when the dog came to the United States. Target’s death has saddened many and brought up questions about animal shelters and the way they operate.

Today, to gain greater insight into the legal nuances involved in an animal shelter putting down a dog, CYInterview is proud to welcome back high-powered attorney, Gloria Allred. Ms. Allred tells us that in many states, it is possible for dog owners – in this case it might be Target’s owner Terry Young – to sue an animal shelter for negligence.

Listen to the Gloria Allred CYInterview:

Inserting Audio Using embed Element

(Backup Player: Including IE)

“In many states, the person who owns or is the companion of the animal would be able to sue the animal shelter if they could show negligence on the part of the shelter. Here it appears that one of the administrators has admitted that in fact procedures for euthanizing the animal were not followed. It appears that if in fact those procedures were followed, that the animal would not have been put down and so it does appear that there would be an argument that the shelter acted negligently in not following its own protocol and its own rules for when and how an animal may be put down and therefore the owner of the dog may in fact be able to file a claim and perhaps even file a lawsuit.”

Beyond giving us that critical insight into the legal ramifications in the Target tragedy, Attorney Allred filled us in on some other issues the media has been following:

Yesterday, Allred’s client Nick Diaz Santillan, who was the former housekeeper for Meg Whitman, reached a settlement with Ms. Whitman for unpaid wages. Ms. Whitman recently ran and lost as the Republican gubernatorial candidate in California. Gloria says her client is pleased and that this is a complete vindication for Nicky.

Nicky, through Allred’s representation, had claimed that Whitman owed her money for past hours worked. Allred says it was beyond ridiculous how much money Ms. Whitman – the former CEO of Ebay – put into fighting this because they were not asking for a huge sum of money. The reported settlement was $5500.

“I think yesterday, it was so ridiculous because Meg Whitman had two attorneys there from top notch firms and a spokesperson. All they had to do, and they must’ve paid those attorneys as my guess, far more than the wages owed. All they had to do was just send a check in the mail to us for Nicky or calls us to see if they could resolve it before that. Instead they spent apparently a large amount of money on attorneys just to fight over a few dollars and that just really tells you I think all you need to know about Meg Whitman.”

Allred says her client did not come forward to have an impact on the California Governor Race, but Ms. Allred believes that this story had an impact on Ms. Whitman losing to Jerry Brown.

“I think people did feel that she was not treated properly by Meg Whitman. That was not the reason that Nicky told her story, to have an impact on the election, but she did want people to know what kind of employer Meg Whitman had been to her from her own personal experience. It did have a major impact and I think that she showed an enormous amount of courage in doing that.”

For years, Ms. Allred has battled for women’s rights.

Recently, a story surfaced in the national media involving the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Virginia Thomas. Thomas is said to have left a voicemail message on Anita Hill’s answering machine asking Ms. Hill to apologize for her sexual harassment allegations, made 19 years ago, at Clarence Thomas’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

We asked Allred about the story. Gloria says that Virginia Thomas’s phone call was inappropriate and wonders if Ms. Thomas regrets her decision to leave the voicemail on Ms. Hill’s answering machine.

“Of course Anita Hill did the right thing and said, there’s no reason for me to apologize because I told the truth when I testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was considering his confirmation. Apparently it’s just a sore point still with Virginia Thomas. She’s out there wanting to defend her husband apparently acting on at least what her husband’s version of the story was to her, but it’s pretty inappropriate. Nothing legally wrong with it, but you know it sounds like, I wonder now that it’s become public whether Virginia Thomas is happy she did it or not.”

Gloria Allred is an American original. Some folks see her as controversial and fiery. Others see her as a brilliant legal mind. At CYInterview, we always respect her unique and intelligent take on today’s pressing issues. Thanks Gloria!

Ms. Allred’s official website is at http://www.amglaw.com