KINGSTON, Tenn. – The attorney for a nonprofit big cat sanctuary that is the subject of a $10 million lawsuit by neighbors has filed a countersuit alleging they and others are on an “unlawful and deliberate campaign” to harass a lawful enterprise.
Dandridge, Tenn., attorney Doug Drinnon, who represents Tiger Haven Inc., filed the counterclaim this week in Roane County Circuit Court.
Drinnon also filed an application for a change of venue that contends the sanctuary and its representatives can’t get a fair trial in Roane County. He asks that jurors be imported from another county “to ensure a fair and impartial trial.”
There’s too much bias and prejudice against Tiger Haven, the application contends, and there’s been extensive media coverage “of the unfounded and inaccurate claims of Roane County residents and public officials.”
Tiger Haven is on 50 acres in rural eastern Roane County and is home to more than 250 lions, tigers and other big cats deemed neglected, abandoned or abused.
In June, several residents living near the Harvey Road sanctuary filed the $10 million complaint alleging among other things that Tiger Haven has “destroyed the quiet enjoyment” of their properties and that big cat waste runoff has contaminated adjoining land.
The complaint seeks to shut the sanctuary down or at least prevent operators from acquiring any more big cats.
Tiger Haven’s use of its land is “lawful and expressly permitted,” Drinnon states in the counterclaim, which seeks $2 million in punitive damages and $500,000 in compensatory damages.
Since 1996, neighbors have filed false or misleading complaints with state and local agencies, made false and inflammatory statements at public meetings and sparked unwarranted inspections of the sanctuary, according to the counterclaim.
The legal action also contends the neighbors have “initiated, pursued and promoted a media campaign” against Tiger Haven.
Those efforts were aimed at harassing and humiliating Tiger Haven as well as inflicting “severe financial hardship” and ultimately shuttering the sanctuary, according to the counterclaim.
The application for a change of venue contends that, since 1992, Tiger Haven has been targeted by numerous Roane County officials and residents “in efforts to extinguish their lawful existence as a sanctuary.”