Dec 29, 2009 6:10 pm US/Eastern
Pa. High Court: SPCA Not State Agency, Can Be Sued
MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press Writer
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) ? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court says the nonprofit group that enforces Pennsylvania' s animal control laws doesn't qualify for immunity from lawsuits because of that work.
The court upheld a Philadelphia jury's verdict that awarded a woman $155,000 from the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after about a dozen dogs taken from her home were euthanized.
The court ruled Tuesday that there's no reason to think the General Assembly intended to grant the SPCA status as a commonwealth agency, so it's not entitled to the defense of sovereign or governmental immunity.
The dog owner, Laila Snead of Reading, says she's pleased with the decision but that money won't bring her dogs back.
A phone message left late Tuesday for the SPCA's lawyer wasn't immediately returned.
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