Humane Society suit claims harassment by Oklahoma attorney general
The Humane Society of the United States claims in a suit filed Wednesday that Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is harassing the organization for political gain.
The suit was filed on behalf of the Humane Society by former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson, the Tulsa World and Courthouse News Service report. The complaint alleges that Pruitt engaged in a “nearly yearlong campaign of legal harassment and public vilification of this organization for political gain.”
Pruitt requested documents from the Humane Society in an investigation of its fundraising practices. The organization initially complied with document requests, but later refused to turn over documents it deemed irrelevant and privileged, according to a press release. The group seeks an injunction and declaration against Pruitt’s alleged harassment.
The Humane Society also alleges Pruitt violated state law by giving information about fundraising to the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.
Pruitt called the lawsuit “unwarranted” in a statement cited by Courthouse News Service. “The concern is that the HSUS projects heart-wrenching imagery of puppies and kittens in solicitations in order to extract donations from unsuspecting Oklahomans who believe their donations are going to help local animal shelters, but instead, their hard-earned money may go to high-powered lobbying and special interest campaigns that are determined to shape state and federal legislation that would harm farmers, ranchers and other Oklahomans,” Pruitt said.
