Posted on 01/22/2015 10:37:48 AM PST by Osage Orange
The Humane Society of the United States Sues Oklahoma Attorney General
by Randy Ellis
Published: January 21, 2015
Upset by state investigation into its fundraising activities, The Humane Society of the United States has filed a lawsuit against Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, accusing him of slandering and vilifying the animal rights organization for political gain.
“Religious leaders, pro-life groups and others with a values-based view of the world should be outraged by the misuse of the attorney general’s office to mount a political attack on a charitable organization because of that group’s mission and beliefs,” Cynthia Armstrong, Oklahoma state director of the Humane Society, said in a news release that accompanied the filing of the lawsuit in Oklahoma County District Court.
The attorney general’s office responded with its own news release, claiming the lawsuit was an attempt by the Humane Society to avoid releasing documents in response to a nearly yearlong investigation by Pruitt’s office into Humane Society fundraising practices.
“The attorney general’s office is reviewing the solicitation practices of the HSUS in order to address concerns that the group’s solicitations in Oklahoma may be misleading,” the news release said. “The concern is that the HSUS projects heart-wrenching imagery of puppies and kittens in solicitations in order to extract donations from unsuspecting Oklahomans who believe their donations are going to help local animal shelters, but instead, their hard-earned money may go to high-powered lobbying and special interest campaigns that are determined to shape state and federal legislation that would harm farmers, ranchers and other Oklahomans.”
Former Attorney General Drew Edmondson, a Democrat, is representing the Humane Society in the lawsuit.
Pruitt is a Republican.
In the lawsuit, the Humane Society accused Pruitt of making “false and defamatory” remarks to groups like the Oklahoma Farm Bureau concerning the Humane Society’s fundraising practices. The group claims Pruitt falsely accused it of using the May 2013 tornado to raise funds.
The organization said it had provided Pruitt’s office with voluminous documents in response to its investigation but argued that it was not required to provide documents that were proprietary or subject to attorney-client privilege.
The Humane Society said it offered to give the attorney general’s office proprietary information if its attorneys would sign a confidentiality agreement, but they refused.
Julie Bays, chief of the Oklahoma attorney general’s public protections unit, said it was unclear to her why the Humane Society would file a lawsuit rather than answer concerns about whether its Oklahoma fundraising efforts were misleading.
“Instead of respecting the donations of generous Oklahomans by providing clarity that such donations were used for the purposes represented in solicitations, the HSUS has decided to sue the attorney general’s office and wage a duplicitous war of misinformation against the people of Oklahoma,” Bays said in a prepared statement.
“Our office will not tolerate any charity using misleading or untruthful solicitations to take advantage of the generosity of Oklahomans and will not blink in the face of this unwarranted lawsuit.”
The Humane Society said it has nearly 7,000 Oklahoma members and contends Pruitt’s actions have damaged its reputation and relationships with members and contributors.
The organization is asking a judge to declare that it has provided the attorney general with all the information that is required and to declare that it will not have to release any additional information.
ROFLOL!!!!!
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