A California county has agreed to pay hundreds of thousands to settle a lawsuit after its sheriff's deputies took a 9-year-old girl's pet goat and sent it to slaughter.
In 2022, Jessica Long purchased Cedar, the goat, for her daughter to raise for a 4-H program–a youth program focusing on agriculture, leadership, and community, The Sacramento Bee reported.
The family ultimately got attached to the goat and it became part of the family, prompting the girl to try and withdraw it from a livestock auction.
Despite offering compensation for losses, Shasta County fair officials refused, and the goat was sold for $902. The family tried to keep Cedar, but Shasta County deputies took orders from the fair and sent it to a slaughterhouse.
After two years of legal battles, the family has finally reached a settlement with the county, receiving $300,000. Of this, the family set aside $65,000 for the girl in a trust and used the remaining funds to cover legal fees.
"We can't get justice here because Cedar can never come home," Vanessa Shakib, the family's attorney, told the Washington Post. "But what's important is that we make sure that this never happens again to another family and that government officials understand that animals are not property. They are family members."
Despite reaching a settlement with the county, the family's legal battle with the fair and the California Department of Food and Agriculture is ongoing.
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