Attorney Randy Turner Wins Defamation Case for Bat World Sanctuary and Its Founder Amanda Lollar

FT. WORTH, Texas, June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Randy Turner with the firm Bailey & Galyen has again earned his name as the "Texas Super Lawyer" for Bat World Sanctuary. Bat World Sanctuary, an international non-profit organization devoted to rescuing and rehabilitating bats, and its president, Amanda Lollar of Mineral Wells, were awarded $6.1 million in damages by a Tarrant County district judge on June 14 in a defamation lawsuit. After a four-day trial the court found that Mary Cummins of Los Angeles, California had committed defamation against Amanda Lollar and had breached her internship contract with Bat World Sanctuary.

In 2010 Mary Cummins was accepted for an internship at Bat World Sanctuary in Mineral Wells. While at Bat World she became dissatisfied with the program and left the internship early. According to the plaintiffs she went back to California and began posting "horrific allegations of animal cruelty against Amanda Lollar on the internet." She accused Amanda Lollar of performing "illegal surgeries" on bats without anesthesia, possessing and distributing controlled substances without a DEA license, throwing dead bats in the trash, allowing interns to be repeatedly bitten by rabid bats, breeding bats illegally, giving human rabies vaccinations to interns, and neglecting her pet dogs. She filed reports of animal cruelty with numerous wildlife and conservation organizations as well as humane and animal welfare organizations. She also complained to a foundation that had been providing funding to Bat World but stopped doing so after receiving Cummins' complaint. She filed complaints with the Texas Department of Health, the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Texas Attorney General, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA, the Mineral Wells Police Department, the Mineral Wells Fire Department, the Palo Pinto District Attorney and other agencies. Every agency that investigated Bat World Sanctuary found Cummins' complaints to be completely without merit. According to Eric Shupps, the plaintiff's expert on information technology, Cummins used "search engine optimization" and "Google bombs" to spread her defamation far and wide across the internet.

Judge William Brigham, who was the visiting judge in the 352nd District Court of Tarrant County, announced at the conclusion of the trial that Amanda Lollar is world-renowned and is to bats what Jane Goodall is to primates. He said that Mary Cummins' defamation of Amanda Lollar was "intentional, malicious, and egregious" and ordered her to pay $3.0 million in compensatory damages and $3.0 million in punitive damages. He also ordered her to pay $10,000 for breach of her contract with Bat World and $176,700 in attorney's fees.

"This judgment sends a powerful message to cyber-stalkers and others who use the internet to harass people or to harm their reputations. Innocent victims like Amanda Lollar often don't have the resources, expertise, or ability to defend themselves against such vicious internet attacks. Hopefully this judgment will make someone think twice before engaging in an internet smear campaign," said Turner.

About Randy Turner

Randy Turner has always been an advocate for animals. He has worked as a volunteer on wildlife conservation projects around the world, including orangutan rehabilitation in Borneo, Indonesia, elephant conservation in Kenya, and black rhino conservation in Zimbabwe. He has represented and served on the boards of directors of several animal welfare organizations. He is a volunteer attorney with the Animal Legal Defense Fund. A substantial portion of his law practice is devoted to representing people who help animals. Mr. Turner has never lost an animal rights case. He took this case pro bono, another example of his true dedication to animals and those who rescue them. If you need an attorney in the Ft. Worth, TX area, you can contact Mr. Turner below.

Contact:

Randy Turner
Attorney at Law
Bailey & Galyen
1901 Airport Freeway
Bedford, Texas 76021
Office: 817-359-7065

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SOURCE Bat World Sanctuary