Draft:Legal Impact for Chickens: Difference between revisions

Line 45: Line 45:

=== Costco shareholder derivative suit (Iowa and Nebraska) ===

=== Costco shareholder derivative suit (Iowa and Nebraska) ===

{{expand section<!– Elaborate –>}}

LIC represented two [[Costco]] shareholders in 2022 in a lawsuit that was reported on by many news outlets. In an attempt to reduce costs, Costco opened a chicken processing plant in 2019. The suit alleged that [[Costco]] engaged there in “illegal neglect and abandonment” by intentionally breeding chickens that grow too big, to the point that many could not stand up and die.<ref name=”:2″>{{Cite news |last=Asher |first=Abe |date=16 June 2022 |title=Costco sued by two shareholders over ‘neglect and abandonment’ of $4.99 rotisserie chickens |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/costco-lawsuit-rotisserie-chickens-sue-b2102619.html |access-date=16 August 2025 |work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref><ref name=”CBS”>{{cite news |date=14 June 2022 |title=Costco rotisserie chicken lawsuit claims animal cruelty |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/costco-rotisserie-chicken-animal-cruelty-lawsuit-claims/ |access-date=16 August 2025 |work=CBS News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Manfredi |first=Lucas |date=2022-06-17 |title=Costco rotisserie chickens tied to bird mistreatment lawsuit |url=https://www.fox5ny.com/news/costco-rotisserie-chickens-tied-to-bird-mistreatment-lawsuit |access-date=2023-08-09 |work=Fox 5 New York |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Meisenzahl |first=Mary |title=A new lawsuit accuses Costco of ‘neglect and abandonment’ of its $4.99 rotisserie chickens |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/costco-rotisserie-chicken-lawsuit-accusing-mistreatment-2022-6 |access-date=2025-08-30 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Reviews of Legal Impact For Chickens, CEO Salary, Legit, Mission, 990 and more |url=https://givefreely.com/charity-directory/nonprofit/ein-871596873/ |access-date=2025-08-30 |website=givefreely.com}}</ref> According to LIC, the court granted a motion to dismiss the suit in March 2023 ending it in Costco’s favor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Costco {{!}} Smith v. Vachris Shareholder Derivative Suit |url=https://www.legalimpactforchickens.org/costco |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=Legal Impact for Chickens |language=en-US}}</ref>

LIC represented two [[Costco]] shareholders in 2022 in a lawsuit that was reported on by many news outlets. In an attempt to reduce costs, Costco opened a chicken processing plant in 2019. The suit alleged that [[Costco]] engaged there in “illegal neglect and abandonment” by intentionally breeding chickens that grow too big, to the point that many could not stand up and die.<ref name=”:2″>{{Cite news |last=Asher |first=Abe |date=16 June 2022 |title=Costco sued by two shareholders over ‘neglect and abandonment’ of $4.99 rotisserie chickens |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/costco-lawsuit-rotisserie-chickens-sue-b2102619.html |access-date=16 August 2025 |work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref><ref name=”CBS”>{{cite news |date=14 June 2022 |title=Costco rotisserie chicken lawsuit claims animal cruelty |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/costco-rotisserie-chicken-animal-cruelty-lawsuit-claims/ |access-date=16 August 2025 |work=CBS News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Manfredi |first=Lucas |date=2022-06-17 |title=Costco rotisserie chickens tied to bird mistreatment lawsuit |url=https://www.fox5ny.com/news/costco-rotisserie-chickens-tied-to-bird-mistreatment-lawsuit |access-date=2023-08-09 |work=Fox 5 New York |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Meisenzahl |first=Mary |title=A new lawsuit accuses Costco of ‘neglect and abandonment’ of its $4.99 rotisserie chickens |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/costco-rotisserie-chicken-lawsuit-accusing-mistreatment-2022-6 |access-date=2025-08-30 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Reviews of Legal Impact For Chickens, CEO Salary, Legit, Mission, 990 and more |url=https://givefreely.com/charity-directory/nonprofit/ein-871596873/ |access-date=2025-08-30 |website=givefreely.com}}</ref> According to LIC, the court granted a motion to dismiss the suit in March 2023 ending it in Costco’s favor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Costco {{!}} Smith v. Vachris Shareholder Derivative Suit |url=https://www.legalimpactforchickens.org/costco |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=Legal Impact for Chickens |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Case Farms litigation (North Carolina) ===

=== Case Farms litigation (North Carolina) ===

{{Expand section<!– Elaborate –>}}

LIC sued poultry producer and [[KFC]] supplier [[Case Farms]] in May 2023 for alleged [[animal cruelty]] violations. The case was initially dismissed by a lower court before being brought to the [[North Carolina Supreme Court]]. Here as before Case Farm argued in July 2025 that the animal cruelty regulations do not apply to commercial operations like theirs. LIC argued that legitimate lawful operations are undermined by unlawful actions, which the alleged animal cruelty and illegal slaughter would be examples of.<ref name=”Morganton” /><ref name=”Law360″>{{cite news |date=2 May 2025 |title=Poultry farm urges NC justices to reject animal cruelty case |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/2362203/poultry-farm-urges-nc-justices-to-reject-animal-cruelty-case |access-date=16 August 2025 |work=Law360}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023 |title=Legal Impact for Chickens (LIC) v. Case Farms, L.L.C., Case Foods, Inc., and Case Farms Processing, Inc. |url=https://www.animallaw.info/pleading/legal-impact-chickens-v-case-farms-llc |access-date=2023-08-09 |work=Michigan State University College of Law |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kokai |first=Mitch |date=2025-02-25 |title=Animal cruelty suit pecks at NC agribusiness exemption |url=https://www.carolinajournal.com/opinion/animal-cruelty-suit-targets-nc-agribusiness-exemption/ |access-date=2025-09-11 |work=The Carolina Journal}}</ref>

LIC sued poultry producer and [[KFC]] supplier [[Case Farms]] in May 2023 for alleged [[animal cruelty]] violations. The case was initially dismissed by a lower court before being brought to the [[North Carolina Supreme Court]]. Here as before Case Farm argued in July 2025 that the animal cruelty regulations do not apply to commercial operations like theirs. LIC argued that legitimate lawful operations are undermined by unlawful actions, which the alleged animal cruelty and illegal slaughter would be examples of.<ref name=”Morganton” /><ref name=”Law360″>{{cite news |date=2 May 2025 |title=Poultry farm urges NC justices to reject animal cruelty case |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/2362203/poultry-farm-urges-nc-justices-to-reject-animal-cruelty-case |access-date=16 August 2025 |work=Law360}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023 |title=Legal Impact for Chickens (LIC) v. Case Farms, L.L.C., Case Foods, Inc., and Case Farms Processing, Inc. |url=https://www.animallaw.info/pleading/legal-impact-chickens-v-case-farms-llc |access-date=2023-08-09 |work=Michigan State University College of Law |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kokai |first=Mitch |date=2025-02-25 |title=Animal cruelty suit pecks at NC agribusiness exemption |url=https://www.carolinajournal.com/opinion/animal-cruelty-suit-targets-nc-agribusiness-exemption/ |access-date=2025-09-11 |work=The Carolina Journal}}</ref>

If you would like to continue working on the submission, click on the “Edit” tab at the top of the window. If you have not resolved the issues listed above, your draft will be declined again and potentially deleted. If you need extra help, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. Please do not remove reviewer comments or this notice until the submission is accepted. Where to get help If you need help editing or submitting your draft, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. These venues are only for help with editing and the submission process, not to get reviews. If you need feedback on your draft, or if the review is taking a lot of time, you can try asking for help on the talk page of a relevant WikiProject. Some WikiProjects are more active than others so a speedy reply is not guaranteed. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Declined by Josedimaria 13 days ago. Last edited by Sklabb 39 seconds ago. Reviewer: Inform author. Resubmit Please note that if the issues are not fixed, the draft will be declined again.

• Comment: Notability is debatable per WP:NCORP, but either way this draft is too promotionally worded to become an article. QuicoleJR (talk) 16:01, 11 September 2025 (UTC)

• Comment: To AFC reviewers: Notability rationale can be found on the talk page if needed.– Sklabb (talk) 16:23, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

---

U.S. Animal rights charity

Legal Impact for Chickens (LIC) is a U.S. animal rights charity focusing on legal support on behalf of poultry and other animals in factory farms. It was founded in 2021 by lawyer Alene Anello, and has been reported on for with its legal activities. The nonprofit organization makes use of U.S. and state law in order to litigate cruelty in factory farming.^[2][3]

History

LIC was founded in 2021 by Alene Anello, a Harvard Law School graduate, and granted tax-exempt status in the U.S. in 2022 as an Alliance/Advocacy Organization.^[4][3] In 2023^[5] and 2024^[6], charity evaluator Animal Charity Evaluators scored LIC, and mentions its strategic lawsuits and broader legal track record.^[7]

LIC’s litigation of specific cases, such as alleged chicken neglect by Costco to produce their rotisserie chickens, gathered attention and were covered by multiple media outlets at the time.^[2][8][9]

Notable litigations

Costco shareholder derivative suit (Iowa and Nebraska)

LIC represented two Costco shareholders in 2022 in a lawsuit that was reported on by many news outlets. In an attempt to reduce costs, Costco opened a chicken processing plant in 2019. The suit alleged that Costco engaged there in “illegal neglect and abandonment” by intentionally breeding chickens that grow too big, to the point that many could not stand up and die.^{[9][8][10][11][12]} According to LIC, the court granted a motion to dismiss the suit in March 2023 ending it in Costco’s favor.^[13]

Case Farms litigation (North Carolina)

LIC sued poultry producer and KFC supplier Case Farms in May 2023 for alleged animal cruelty violations. The case was initially dismissed by a lower court before being brought to the North Carolina Supreme Court. Here as before Case Farm argued in July 2025 that the animal cruelty regulations do not apply to commercial operations like theirs. LIC argued that legitimate lawful operations are undermined by unlawful actions, which the alleged animal cruelty and illegal slaughter would be examples of.^{[7][14][15][16]}

Alexandre family farm case (California)

In 2024 LIC sued a Northern California dairy operator over alleged animal cruelty such as “salting the eyeballs of diseased cows, dragging them across concrete with heavy machinery, and cutting the teats off cows without anesthesia“, according to the Times-Standard.^[17] This case was built on a report made earlier by Farm Forward, an animal welfare focused non-profit.^[18] In September 2025, the California’s Court of Appeal denied a writ of mandate filed by Alexandre family farm arguing LIC had no standing. With this decision of the court LIC’s case was allowed to continue.^[19][20]

Harvey’s Market settlement (Washington, DC)

Animal Outlook, a national nonprofit organization, was represented by LIC in 2024. They argued that Harvey’s Market was misleading consumers by using the labels “humanely raised stock”, “free range”, and other misleading terms, not consistent with how foie gras animals are treated, despite selling it. In a settlement finalized in June 2025, Harvey’s Market agreed to permanently stop the sale of foie gras.^[21]

Tyson Foods books and records demand (Delaware)

A shareholder sued Tyson Foods in August 2025 for the release of records on worker safety, alleged child labor violations and lack of proper treatment of chickens on contract farms. LIC provided three of the five attorneys representing the shareholder. According to LIC, shareholders are entitled to records from the company to investigate alleged wrongdoing,^[22] and it could demonstrate the situation is under control.^[23]

Approach

Corporate litigation, such as drafting legal briefs, advocating in court, negotiating with opposing counsel, and preparing witnesses/experts, are their main activity. Investigation is LIC’s second biggest activity. 68% and 24% of spending goes to these top two activities respectively, in 2023. The remaining 8% was spent on educational activities.^[2][4]

LIC focuses fully on helping farmed animals, in particular chickens, improve their welfare standards, and increase knowledge and skills for animal advocacy. According to its founder, “animals, workers, and companies themselves are better off when companies treat animals humanely, and when everyone follows the law”.^[24]

LIC’s stated mission is “to make factory-farm cruelty a liability” through legal strategies in the United States. Cases are selected to both make a significant difference in the lives of animals and stand a good chance of winning. With this approach LIC hopes to get companies to follow the existing laws on animal welfare.^[2][25]

The Animal Ag Alliance, lists LIC for monitoring as one of the major animal activist groups.^[26]

Alene Anello

Alene Anello is the founder and President of LIC. She graduated from Harvard College in 2010, then worked for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), before continuing her education by attending Harvard Law School. After completing this, she clerked for a federal judge, worked at the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Good Food Institute. With that legal experience, she founded LIC to, according to Prospect Magazine who interviewed her, “defend the animals we treat more cruelly than any other”.^[3][27]

Anello had two cockatiel birds who have since passed away. They formed part of her motivation for defending farmed birds and other animals.^[3] Other inspiration for Anello comes from effective altruism.^[28] With over 9.5 billion chickens raised in factory farms in the U.S. alone, a small improvement would have a big effect.^[29]

Criticism

According to AGPROfessionals, an agricultural development and consulting firm, LIC is not an animal welfare organization, and instead tries to generate negative publicity for animal agriculture. They suggest that rather than safeguarding shareholders or improving animal welfare, the Tyson case is aimed “to end animal agriculture through the use of corporate law as a weapon.”^[30]

See also

References

External links