PETA Files Lawsuit Against Tri-State Zoological Park Attorney Behind Witness Intimidation Scheme

For Immediate Release:
February 25, 2025

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

PETA lawyers have just filed a complaint in Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County against Nevin Young, the Maryland-based attorney for the now-defunct Tri-State Zoological Park, alleging failure to comply with a settlement agreement over his role in a scheme to silence two witnesses during PETA’s lawsuit against the roadside zoo.

During PETA’s lawsuit against Tri-State over violations of the federal Endangered Species Act, Young drafted baseless felony wiretap charges for the roadside zoo’s owner, Robert Candy, to file against two PETA investigators—critical witnesses in the case—just days before they were set to testify at trial. PETA filed a motion for sanctions, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ordered Candy and Young to pay PETA $56,655.77 in fees and costs over the scheme. PETA reached a settlement with Young in 2022—which, as laid out in the lawsuit, Young has failed to comply with. PETA’s lawsuit asks the Court to enforce the terms of the settlement.

“Nevin Young’s bad-faith ploy was a blatant attempt to undermine PETA’s efforts to protect the animals languishing in filth, misery, and pain at this decrepit roadside zoo,” says PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel and Director of Litigation Asher Smith. “PETA is asking the Court to enforce the settlement agreement and ensure that Young is held accountable for his brazen attempt to pervert the course of justice.”

PETA prevailed in the Endangered Species Act lawsuit against Tri-State, which alleged that Tri-State harmed and harassed two lemurs, five tigers, and two lions in violation of federal law by displaying them in decrepit enclosures without appropriate companionship, potable water, or proper enrichment, food, or shelter, and by denying them adequate veterinary care. PETA’s lawsuit resulted in the transfer of three big cats from the roadside zoo to an accredited sanctuary and prohibited the facility from owning or possessing endangered or threatened species.

PETA later filed an additional lawsuit alleging that Tri-State’s chronic neglect and mistreatment of the animals held at its facility violated federal and state law and constituted a public nuisance, noting that Tri-State confined animals to often-filthy, decrepit enclosures and frequently deprived them of adequate treatment, including veterinary care. PETA’s victory in the case led to the closure of the notorious outfit and a five-day rescue operation involving 72 animals of 30 species—PETA’s largest-ever rescue of animals from a roadside zoo.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.