Last Chance for Animals, Activist Silvie Pomicter and the ACLU of Pennsylvania Win Important Lawsuit Striking Down Protest Limits at Wilkes-Barre Arena

LOS ANGELES, April 13, 2018 -- Last Chance for Animals (LCA) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Pennsylvania announced an important victory in the fight for animal rights. A federal judge struck down a protest policy at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA making it unlawful to confine protestors to barricaded areas or ban voice amplification.

Barricaded protesters with Last Chance for Animals outside of the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

The court decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by LCA, animal activist Silvie Pomicter and the ACLU-PA days before the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus performed its final show with elephants at the arena in 2016. The lawsuit requested that the court strike down protest limitations and allow protesters to mingle with patrons attending circus performances.

“This is a major victory for free speech and the animals,” said Chris DeRose, LCA president and founder. “This has national ramifications wherever activists protest. With so many rights and liberties being taken away in the last 30 years, it’s a great relief to see such an important decision come down in favor of protesters.”

In a statement released by the ACLU-PA its Executive Director Reggie Shuford said, “Free speech does not exist solely for speech that is acceptable to those in power. It exists to create a marketplace of ideas. We are deeply appreciative that our clients had the courage to challenge this policy.”

The plaintiffs are represented by Roper and Molly Tack-Hooper of ACLU-PA and Alexander Bilus, Amy Kline, Meghan Talbot, and Nicholas Fox of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP. The lawsuit, Pomicter and Last Chance for Animals v. Luzerne County Convention Center Authority and SMG, was decided in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. For more information about the case, visit www.aclupa.org/pomicter.

About Last Chance for Animals (LCA):
LCA is an international non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating animal exploitation through education, investigations, legislation and public awareness campaigns. Since its formation in 1984, LCA has succeeded as a pioneer animal advocacy organization. LCA’s Special Investigations Unit documents abuse in research labs, puppy mills, factory farms, and the entertainment industry, and works with prosecutors to enforce animal cruelty laws.  www.lcanimal.org I Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

Media Contacts: Arron Neal
(213) 568-3334, [email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/9ce59915-5c48-488f-9ec2-941fbb5617a8