Scooby Dooby Doo, Whose Are You?

In Roger v. Keller, determined earlier this month by Waterbury, Connecticut trial courtroom decide Robert D’Andrea, plaintiffs had a pit bull named Scooby; they stored him with defendants (who had been apparently, to oversimplify, plaintiffs’ relations) for 3 years, regardless of defendants’ insistence that plaintiffs take them again. Ultimately, defendants gave him away (the opinion is unclear on to whom), and plaintiffs sued, claiming this violated plaintiffs’ property rights:

Plaintiff Roger filed an affidavit testifying that on or about November 9, 2019, he discovered the pit bull deserted in Waterbury and took possession of it that day. Nevertheless, the plaintiffs, quite than taking the pit bull to their very own condominium, introduced the pit bull to 25 Linden Avenue, Oakville, Connecticut, the house of defendants Deborah Roger and Phil Roger (collectively “Rogers”). The plaintiffs requested the Rogers to handle the pit bull for just a few weeks, then for just a few months, then for just a few extra months, and so forth. The plaintiffs didn’t reside at 25 Linden Avenue, however the plaintiffs rented within the Waterbury/Watertown/Oakville space property which prohibited animals. The pit bull resided with the defendants in Oakville from roughly November 9, 2019 by means of June 28, 2022, or about two years and eight months.

From the beginning, and for the whole lot of the practically three years Scooby lived with them, the Rogers declare that they repeatedly requested the plaintiffs to take again possession of Scooby citing bodily and monetary circumstances; and though the plaintiffs had quite a few alternatives to take action, they repeatedly didn’t take motion. Following a serious again surgical procedure, defendant Deborah Roger asserts that she demanded that the plaintiffs take possession of Scooby or else it might be rehomed. Defendant Deborah Roger additional warned the plaintiff Roger that Scooby could be rehomed ought to the plaintiff Roger be arrested or incarcerated. As soon as once more, the defendants assert that the plaintiffs had quite a few alternatives to take possession however repeatedly failed to take action.

The defendants Rogers and their household, apart from the plaintiffs, had been the only real suppliers for the pit bull throughout the practically three-year interval it lived with them in Oakville. The defendants Roger, not the plaintiffs, offered Scooby meals, water, shelter, leisure, and train. The defendant Rogers, not the plaintiffs, let Scooby exterior and cleaned up after it. The defendants Roger, not the plaintiffs, incurred the price related to its care. The plaintiffs often took Scooby for an in a single day keep at their rental properties however in any other case left it with the Rogers in Oakville and acquired a number of baggage of meals over the practically three-year interval. At no level did the plaintiffs take possession of Scooby, present for it, or supply compensation to the defendants Roger for the price they incurred. The plaintiffs merely anticipated the defendants Roger to handle Scooby indefinitely.

A while throughout 2021, the plaintiff Roger moved in with the defendant Rogers at 25 Linden Avenue whereas plaintiff Rizzo returned to her dad and mom’ residence in Morris, Connecticut. There was no lease, verbal or written, for the plaintiff Roger’s stick with the defendants Rogers, and he didn’t pay hire or utilities. However that plaintiff Roger lived with Scooby, the Rogers continued to be the unique suppliers for Scooby. The defendant Rogers continued to incur the price of its care. Hooked up to the defendants’ affidavit is defendant Deborah Roger’s order historical past from Chewy.com, a web-based vendor which delivered meals and toys for Scooby.

A while between Might and June 2022, plaintiff Roger discovered of a warrant for his arrest, and he fled the defendant Rogers’ residence, leaving all private property, together with Scooby. Along with his flight and try and evade the warrant, the plaintiff Roger offered his protection legal professional fabricated paperwork indicating he was killed in motion in Ukraine. Hooked up as Exhibit B is a transcript of State v. Roger, Docket No. U04W-CR16-0436674-S, wherein counsel and the courtroom (Papastavros, J.) focus on and try and confirm stated completely fabricated documentation. Not one of the defendants are at the moment in possession of the pit bull….

This is a fast abstract of the authorized evaluation, although the opinion is sort of lengthy:

Right here, Scooby was left with the defendants for care …. The defendant Rogers …, demanded the plaintiffs take possession of the pit bull, as demonstrated by their sworn affidavit. The plaintiffs’ failure to take motion in response to the defendants’ calls for … evinces their intent to desert Scooby….

[I]t is the defendant Rogers, not the plaintiffs, who’ve the requisite superior possessory curiosity. It defies frequent sense to go away your pet with others and requiring them to offer meals, shelter, medical care and different pet-related wants, whereas making an attempt to keep away from the lengthy arm of the legislation by going “underground.” The defendant Rogers’ possessory curiosity in Scooby precludes the plaintiffs from establishing the weather required to keep up an motion for replevin, or for that matter, conversion, as they can’t display that they’ve a superior possessory proper to Scooby….

Moreover, the plaintiffs have requested this courtroom to return Scooby to the defendants Rogers’ residence in Oakville as a result of the plaintiffs are bodily unable to take possession. This courtroom can not create a dog-related type of “indentured servitude” by requiring the defendant Rogers to once more take continued undesirable possession of Scooby, and proceed with care, pay all bills, medical, meals or in any other case for an indefinite time period till both plaintiff Rizzo strikes to a residence that will enable her to take possession of pets, or till plaintiff Roger is launched from the Division of Correction detention and relocates to an appropriate residence that can allow him to take possession of Scooby. For this courtroom order the defendant Rogers to deal with, feed, present medical care, and supply a number of every day lavatory obligation for Scooby, for which they don’t have any time, need, or means, would represent a grave injustice to the defendant Rogers….