Chimp Crazy Evidence May Land Docuseries Villain Tonia Haddix in Contempt of Court
For Immediate Release:
October 30, 2024
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
Following the release of HBO Max’s Chimp Crazy—which covered Tonia Haddix’s attempt to fake the death of a famous chimpanzee named Tonka by lying to a judge and hiding the ape in a cage in her basement—PETA is using her statements and actions documented in the hit series as evidence that she’s in violation of court orders and is petitioning for her to be held in contempt of court. The group filed a motion today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
The series documented that Haddix leaked confidential details regarding the transfers of chimpanzees from the now-defunct Missouri Primate Foundation breeding compound (formerly Chimparty), recorded the transfers and court hearings, and apparently entered a chimpanzee enclosure—all in violation of various court orders. PETA’s motion also seeks to hold accountable Haddix’s accomplices in faking Tonka’s death—including Cy Vierstra, who warehoused the chimpanzee at his private roadside zoo for months to help Haddix prevent his transfer to an accredited sanctuary—as well as her husband, Jerry Aswegan, and other participants in the scheme.
“Tonia Haddix brazenly defied court orders on camera and made a mockery of the justice system in front of an international audience in order to deprive a chimpanzee of a real life,” says PETA Foundation General Counsel Brittany Peet. “PETA is asking the court to hold Haddix and her accomplices in this scheme accountable for flagrantly flouting the law.”
The filing marks PETA’s sixth motion of contempt against Haddix. A previous motion was held in abeyance pending a criminal investigation into Haddix by the U.S. attorney. In 2023, she was ordered to pay $224,404.24 in attorneys’ fees and costs to PETA as a sanction for the court’s previous findings of contempt in response to the group’s prior motions.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kitsfor people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
