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The Right to Rescue
If a dog is being tortured behind closed doors — if its vocal cords have been cut without anesthesia, if it has never seen sunlight — do you have the right to carry it out? The law says no. This movement says the law is wrong.
16
Known Actions
2015 - 2026
3
Jury Acquittals
Smithfield, Foster Farms, and counting
6
States
CA, UT, WI, CO, NC, IA
~27
Arrested March 2026
Ridglan Farms, largest beagle rescue
Every DxE open rescue case from the first action in 2015 to the present. Click any case for full details including charges, outcomes, judicial rulings, and strategic significance.
The Pattern: Judges Block, Juries Decide
In virtually every open rescue trial, judges have denied the formal necessity defense — the legal argument that rescuing an animal was necessary to prevent imminent harm. Yet juries have still acquitted in multiple cases. The pattern is clear: when juries hear about animal suffering, they acquit. When judges block that evidence, they convict.
Key Finding
3 jury acquittals (Smithfield 2022, Foster Farms 2023, plus the 11-1 hung jury on the Reichardt Duck count) against 3 convictions (NC goat 2021, Sonoma chickens 2023, Perdue 2025). The difference is not the law — it is what the jury was allowed to hear.
| Judge | Case | Key Rulings | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Wilcox | Smithfield (UT) | Barred necessity defense. Prohibited rescue video. Barred evidence of farm conditions. | ACQUITTED |
| Laura Passaglia | Sonoma (CA, Hsiung) | Denied necessity defense. Excluded video evidence. Quashed subpoenas. Imposed gag order. | CONVICTED (hung 11-1 on one count) |
| Paul Lo | Foster Farms (CA) | Denied necessity defense but ruled favorably on other defense theories. | ACQUITTED |
| Peter Knight | Sospiro Ranch (NC) | Excluded veterinary testimony about the goat's condition. | CONVICTED |
| Kenneth Gnoss | Perdue (CA, Rosenberg) | Refused necessity defense but allowed evidence of conditions. Refused prosecution's gag order request. | CONVICTED |
Why This Matters
The industry knows this pattern too. After the Smithfield acquittal, Utah Rep. Carl Albrecht introduced HB114 (Theft Defense Amendments), signed by Governor Cox on March 16, 2023. It directly closes the legal theory that produced the acquittal. When the law can't win in front of juries, the industry changes the law.
Wayne Hsiung — Aggregate Legal Record
Convictions
2 (NC goat, Sonoma chickens)
Acquittals
1 (Smithfield, Utah)
Dismissed
2 (Ridglan 2017, Norbest)
Pending
1 (Ridglan 2026)
Total Jail Time
~38 days
Total Restitution
$191,954
Total Probation
24 months (NC) + 24 months (Sonoma) = 48 months
Data Gap
This database covers known DxE open rescue actions that resulted in documented legal proceedings. Additional actions may have occurred without charges being filed or without public documentation. Case details are drawn from court records, news reporting, and DxE public statements.