Kansas Residents Please read. We need you...the more we get on board, the better.
This is a letter from Vicki Thompson (dorrie & Franke) on LB, she is acting as our lawyer.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send her your info
My name is Vicki Thompson,
Nearly all of you have expessed a desire to help in the situation with the Trembly miniature horses in Uniontown, KS. I have been making personal contacts by telephone and find that I am too slow. Please pardon the broadcast nature of this.
I am an attorney in Houston and I have secured local co-counsel in Kansas City by a Kansas attorney to help me represent a group of Kansas citizens and organizations with vested interests in the welfare of animals and in particular, these 94 horses and 30 some goats. I am working with Chances Miniature Horse Rescue and the Kansas based rescue organization South Winds Equine Rescue to approach the county court with a civil motion for temporary injunctive relief. We would show the court through affidavits, some testimony, and photographic evidence that Mr. Trembly and Sheriff Coleman have failed to follow Kansas statutes. In addition to violating the animal abuse statute, Mr. Trembly has failed to be licensed as breeder as required under the "puppy mill" statutes in Kansas that require breeders and distributors to be licensed by the state and in allowing horse carcasses to remain unburied. That violation carries a $100/day/carcass fine until those are properly disposed of according to the statute requirements. We would be asking the court to give us an order to allow an independent veterinary exam of all horses and goats, to prevent those animals from being moved (again) without health certificates, current Coggins and vaccinations unless it is too verified rescue ranches, and to allow us to take temporary custody of the animals until a finding could be made regarding the issue of neglect.
We consider this action as a last effort.
The cost of the suit would be the filing fees and any bonds the court would require to be posted. If the suit should go forward beyond that some fees may be needed for deposition or expert witnesses. At this point I have a commitment from CMHR, SWER and other volunteers to provide raise those fees. All legal services would be provided without fee (pro bono). I cannot guarentee that Mr. Trembly would not counter claim for harassment or abuse of process in trying to bring this action. I would not think that he would or that the court would be persueded that he should be awarded anything in light of his actions. That however is a potential downside that is not likely but could exist. The worse case scenarioo for this group is that we merely get tossed out of court as having no standing to bring the action. I anticipate no financial repercussions for individually named plaintiffs. The more Kansas citizens and organizations to make a stand the better the persuasive effect of the motion would be on the judge.
So I write to ask you to consider comitting to this action as, if or when it would become necessary. We all would prefer that local authorities would provide proper legal action and any funds spent would go toward the horses and not litigation. If we do not see that the horses are not taken away from Trembly by Friday of this week or Monday of next I want to be able to file this action. Merely allowing Trembly tokeep the horses on better pasture is not the solution. He does not have the physica or financial where with all to keep animals as his proerty. I need your commitment by Thursday of this week.
Please contact me with your full name, address, county of your residence, and telephone number. Nothing would be filed with your name on it until you have had a chance to review and approve it. My contact information is Victoria Thompson, 3 Live Oak Trail Cypress Texas 77429,
[email protected], 281-970-7191 FAX 281-970-7193 Cell 832-526-0481. Please or email all questions that come to mind. Please feel free to forward this other interested Kansas citizens and organization. Thank-you.
