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Covance Pays PETA Europe £145,000 in Final Resolution of 2005 Lawsuit
In the final chapter of Covance’s efforts to bar PETA Europe from publicizing video footage of animal abuse inside a Covance facility, Covance has complied with a court order by paying PETA Europe £145,000 to cover legal fees and costs.
Shortly after PETA U.S. went public with an 11-month investigation that documented appalling physical and psychological abuse of monkeys inside a Covance laboratory in Vienna, Virginia, Covance sought an injunction to prevent PETA Europe from showing the shocking video footage. In 2005, a U.K. judge dismissed that case, characterizing the video as “highly disturbing.” The judge also commented on the “rough manner in which the animals [are] handled and the bleakness of the surroundings in which they are kept,” matters that he said “cry out for explanation.”
In contrast to the abuse uncovered by PETA U.S., Covance’s “Animal Welfare Statement” claims that the company treats the animals in its facilities with “care and respect.” The judge called the difference between Covance’s claim and the reality exposed by the PETA U.S. investigation “a comparison between two different worlds,” and he went on to say that to the extent that Covance “has fostered a misleading impression, PETA Europe is entitled to correct it publicly.”
In the U.S., Covance’s censorship attempts also failed when it had to withdraw motions for both a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction, which were aimed at preventing PETA U.S. from showing the video. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited and fined Covance for serious violations of the Animal Welfare Act, and activists in Chandler, Arizona, have fought Covance’s proposed construction of a new animal-testing facility tooth and nail, giving the billion-dollar conglomerate a run for its money.
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