THE “Chimp Crazy” legal saga continues.
On Wednesday, PETA filed a new petition against Tonia Haddix, citing events captured in the HBO docuseries as proof. The animal rights group is seeking an order requiring Haddix and his alleged accomplices to prove they did not violate prior court orders or commit perjury in prior proceedings.
Premiere in August, the four episodes “Chimp Crazy” followed Haddix, an animal broker who had taken over the now-defunct Missouri Primate Foundation amid an ongoing legal battle with PETA over custody of several chimpanzees.
In its new filing in the Eastern District of Missouri, PETA alleges that “Chimp Crazy” provides new evidence of instances where Haddix lied and defied court orders, as well as confessions. The motion includes timestamps of each episode pointing to instances that the organization says show Haddix violated court orders, including those prohibiting her from relocating chimpanzees on her own, sharing details about the time and date of the court-ordered animal transfer or record any video of such transfers. According to PETA’s petition, even the presence of recording equipment during its hearings was not permitted.
“The Endangered Species Act…cannot function as Congress intended, and in the manner this Court has justified, under the shadow of such contempt that is not adequately addressed.” account,” the motion states. “Haddix so publicly disobeying this Court and then profiting from his disobedience by sharing it with a national audience will only encourage future defendants to engage in similar misconduct unless this Court intervenes decisively.”
Haddix could not immediately be reached for comment.
Among the scandalous events captured in “Chimp Crazy” were Haddix’s appearance in a virtual hearing to testify that she had nothing to do with the disappearance of Tonka, a chimpanzee she falsely claimed was dead . The series describes how Haddix kidnapped and hid Tonka to prevent her from being sent to an animal sanctuary as ordered.
Eventually, Tonka was found and removed from Haddix’s custody and placed in a sanctuary. In 2022, Haddix was ordered to pay more than $220,000 to PETA for attorney fees and other costs incurred in the case. At that time, the court referred Haddix and her husband, Jerry Aswegan, to the U.S. Attorney for a criminal investigation, but so far they have not yet been charged with any crime related to the “Chimp” case. Crazy.” (Aswegan could not immediately be reached for comment.)
According to PETA, the notoriety Haddix gained from appearing in the docuseries — including being parodied by “Saturday Night Live” — allowed her to capitalize on her “blatant disobedience” of court orders through merchandising and advertising. other opportunities now available thanks to it. celebrity and shows his “apparent effort to monetize their misconduct.”
PETA also alleges that “Chimp Crazy” implicates Aswegan, as well as Missouri Primate Foundation founder Connie Casey and Cy Viestra, a former operator of a roadside zoo in Ohio, as Haddix’s accomplices. (Viestra was convicted of stealing money from the municipality where he worked to help finance his establishment.)
The motion also includes PETA’s request that the court allow the organization to gather additional evidence related to the “Chimp Crazy” revelations. If the court finds Haddix and her alleged co-conspirators in contempt, PETA seeks appropriate sanctions and recovery of costs associated with the new case.