Category Archives: Appellate Court Rulings

A collection of posts about state and federal appellate court rulings pertaining to dog bite victim lawsuits, dangerous dog laws and breed-specific legislation.

Canada Supreme Court Upholds Ontario's Pit Bull Ban: Rules Ban is Constitutional

Law Not "Arbitrary"Ottawa, CA - It was announced last week that the Canada Supreme Court refused the appeal against the Ontario pit bull ban brought by Catherine Cochrane of Toronto, which leaves the Ontario law untouched and constitutionally sound. In October of 2008, the Ontario Court of Appeal overwhelmingly upheld the law, known as the Dog Owners' Liability Act of 2005, that bans the breeding, sale and ownership of pit bulls in the province of Ontario. The high court ref… [Read full blog post]

Aurora, Colorado Fighting Breed Ban Prevails in Federal Court

United States District Court for the District of Colorado on 19th Street in Denver. Fighting Breed Ban Upheld UPDATE 11/20/08: Chief U.S. District Judge Wiley Y. Daniel has ruled in favor of the City of Aurora. Once again, the American Canine Foundation loses, making their "track record" undeniably horrific. The United States Supreme Court has also spoken on breed-specific law. The court rejected all grounds that a dog lobbying group brought forth: Procedural due proces… [Read full blog post]

Ontario Court Of Appeals Upholds Province's Pit Bull Ban

Pit Bulls Ruled "Unpredictable" Toronto, CA - Pit bulls are dangerous and unpredictable dogs that have the potential to attack without warning, the Ontario Court of Appeal said today in a decision upholding the province's ban on the animals. The Ontario government enacted the Dog Owners' Liability Act in 2005 to ban the breeding, sale and ownership of pit bulls after several incidents in which the dogs attacked people. The ruling confirms that the ban is constitutional. Th… [Read full blog post]

CHAKO vs. The City and County of San Francisco

Pit Bull Sterilization Law Victorious San Francisco, CA - On June 3rd, 2008 the San Francisco Office of the City Attorney released a statement regarding the CHAKO case -- a pit bull advocacy group that sued San Francisco over its mandatory pit bull sterilization law. CHAKO challenged the validity of the ordinance, alleging that it violated numerous federal and state constitutional provisions, including the right to happiness. US District Judge Maxine M. Chesney granted… [Read full blog post]