North Shore News: Sept 17/00

IN a turn of events rich with irony, the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) filed a defamation suit Tuesday against the West Vancouver-based Animal Advocates Society (AAS).

The 60-page writ, filed Monday in B.C. Supreme Court, caps years of acrimony between the two organizations and primarily revolves around "voluminous" feature stories and messages posted on an Internet website (www.animaladvocates.com) operated by the AAS.

The SPCA's writ alleges "the AAS, has defined for itself a central role as a vociferous, public critic of the B.C. SPCA and its policies, programs and initiatives."

The writ alleges the AAS publishes written defamatory materials on its website "that are harshly critical of the B.C. SPCA and its officers, director and employers and volunteers."

In a statement released Thursday, Judy Stone, founder of the AAS, said the lawsuit "entirely mis-states what AAS is all about." Stone declined to comment on the specific allegations contained in the lawsuit but asserted that the organization will "defend the action vigorously" and is currently putting together a legal defence fund.

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