§ 24132 Animal Theft Civil Penalties

Key Takeaways

•If someone takes, keeps, moves, or kills your animal without permission, they have to pay you 4 times the animal's value.
•They also have to pay interest (extra money based on time), your lawyer fees, and any money you spent trying to get your animal back.
•This applies even if the police are already dealing with the case.
•This law is for animals taken for slaughter (like cows, pigs, etc.) or if someone lies to trick you into giving up your animal.

Example

If someone steals your cow and sells it for meat without asking you, they have to pay you 4 times what the cow was worth.

The law makes the thief pay extra to punish them and help you recover your loss. You also get back any money you spent trying to find your cow, like gas for driving around or hiring a lawyer.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person is civilly liable for four times the value of the animal at the time of taking, possessing, harboring, transporting, or slaughtering of the animal, with interest, at the prime rate from the date of that occurrence, for attorney fees incurred in the recovery of the animal, and for an amount in fair compensation for the time and money properly expended by the owner in pursuit of the animal, as follows: (1) In any action for the wrongful taking, possessing, harboring, or transporting of an animal for slaughter or for the slaughter of the animal without the consent of the owner or the person lawfully in possession of the animal or any animal whose ownership is still in dispute. (2) In any action where a person knowingly, by any false representation or pretense, defrauds another person of any animal, which results in the wrongful taking, possessing, harboring, or transporting of the animal for slaughter without the consent of the owner or the person lawfully in possession of the animal or any animal whose ownership is still in dispute. (b) The commencement of any criminal prosecution for the theft of the animal shall not preclude or prevent any civil action as specified in this section. (Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 747, Sec. 2.)

Key Takeaways

•If someone takes, keeps, moves, or kills your animal without permission, they have to pay you 4 times the animal's value.
•They also have to pay interest (extra money based on time), your lawyer fees, and any money you spent trying to get your animal back.
•This applies even if the police are already dealing with the case.
•This law is for animals taken for slaughter (like cows, pigs, etc.) or if someone lies to trick you into giving up your animal.

Example

If someone steals your cow and sells it for meat without asking you, they have to pay you 4 times what the cow was worth.

The law makes the thief pay extra to punish them and help you recover your loss. You also get back any money you spent trying to find your cow, like gas for driving around or hiring a lawyer.

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

References

§ 24132 Animal Theft Civil Penalties

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

References

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References