A Dane County judge dismissed a lawsuit on Tuesday filed by breeder Ridglan Farms against Dane4Dogs, a local dog advocacy group.
Ridglan’s lawsuit alleged Dane4Dogs and advocates “pursued their agenda [to hold the company accountable for alleged animal cruelty] through a variety of forms of activism, ranging from social media, to protests to… participating in the judicial and administrative complaint processes,” a statement said.
Ridglan also alleged Dane4Dogs sent letters to its customers to stop doing business with it.
Dane4Dogs attorneys and the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project argued it was protected under the First Amendment, and a judge agreed, dismissing the case.
“This lawsuit was a textbook attempt to silence constitutionally protected advocacy through
costly litigation,” Steffen Seitz, litigation fellow at AALDP, said in a statement. “Particularly in this moment, when free speech is under severe attack, the courts must be vigilant against attempts, by powerful private interests and government alike, to punish critics for protected expression.”
Ridglan Farms agreed to shut down its breeding facility in 2026 after months of investigation by a special prosecutor.
