According to a report in the Daily Herald, Joe Petit, the Wayne man whose dog Ludwig was shot and killed by his neighbor Hal Phipps in 2021, has filed a civil suit against Phipps seeking $75,000 in punitive damages and an unspecified amount of compensatory damages.
According to the report, Petit claims that Phipps violated the state’s Humane Care for Animals Act “by committing animal torture and intentionally causing the dog to suffer serious injury or death.”
On Aug. 10, 2021, Phipps shot and killed a Dogo Argentino named Ludwig, which belonged to his neighbor, Petit. The incident sparked an immediate uproar in communities around the Fox Valley, and particularly on social media, giving rise to numerous and frequent protests and the now-legendary “Justice For Ludwig” rallying cry.
Several weeks later, after an investigation by the office of Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain and a review of the facts and the law, Mosser held an unusual press conference and announced that criminal charges were not appropriate, citing evidence that Phipps had acted out of necessity. In her assessment of the case, she pronounced that, according to the law, Mr. Phipps reasonably believed his life or safety was at risk when he fired a single, fatal shot at Ludwig.
After that decision, questions about the fairness and transparency of the investigation and review continued from Mr. Petit, his lawyer, and Ludwig’s supporters, leading to an extraordinary reversal by Mosser, who in May of 2022 decided to convene a grand jury to review facts and law surrounding the shooting.
Then, last December, in yet another stunning turn of events, Mosser again reversed herself and cancelled the Grand Jury review just days before it was set to commence, ending the matter from a criminal standpoint.
Now, Petit has chosen to pursue the civil route.
According to the Daily Herald report, the lawsuit alleges “Petit has suffered extreme emotional distress and will continue to sustain that distress, plus anxiety, anger, depression and humiliation.”
