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Walter Clark Legal Group files legal action against Riverside County Department of Animal Services and its Director, Erin Gettis, for violations of the Hayden Act which protects animals in shelters

On August 20, 2024, Walter T. Clark and Dan C. Bolton filed a ground-breaking legal action in Riverside Superior Court against the Riverside County Department of Animal Services (“RCDAS”), its Director, Erin Gettis, and the County of Riverside.  RCDAS is notorious for recently having the highest kill rate of reporting shelters in the United States.  This is the first legal action in California against an animal shelter asking the Court to enforce multiple provisions of the Hayden Act (California’s landmark legislation requiring shelters to save, not destroy, animals), enforce a municipal ordinance to spay and neuter animals before their release, replace its Director, conduct a forensic audit of its financials, and proactively move to a no kill shelter.  The Walter Clark Legal Group is handling this case pro bono on behalf of four Petitioners who, collectively, have devoted over a half-century to animal advocacy, animal rescue, shelter management, animal safety and no kill policies.

The lawsuit was filed against Riverside County Department of Animal Services (“RCDAS”), its Director, Erin Gettis, and the County of Riverside. Attorneys Walter T. Clark and Dan C. Bolton represent the Petitioners in the case.