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More than $3 million in damages are being sought by two men who claim a Texarkana truck driver ran over their prized hog dogs in March.
Dermot, Ark., lawyer Charles Gibson filed a complaint May 2 in the Texarkana Division of the Western District of Arkansas against Duane Livingston Trucking, Inc., on behalf of Jonathan Jones, of Winthrop, Ark., and Christopher Maxwell, of Quitman, La.
The men claim a Duane Livingston driver plowed through the animals at a high rate of speed March 13 on a country road in Miller County, Ark. Maxwell and Jones are dog trainers who focus on hog dogs.
“They met online and decided to form a team to participate in a hog catching competition sponsored by the Arkansas Dog Hunter’s Association,” the complaint states. “The object of the competition was to help reduce the feral hog population that causes damage to the countryside’s flora and fauna and secondly, to provide meat to charity, specifically, Arkansas Hunters Feed the Hungry.”
Jones and Maxwell claim they were gathering up the dogs, Venom and Tyrone, when a Duane Livingston driver “negligently failed to heed advance warnings of the dogs’ and plaintiffs’ presence, drove at a high rate of speed through them, striking and killing the dogs.”
While the driver accused of killing the dogs allegedly did not stop, a second Duane Livingston trucker did, according to the complaint. That driver allegedly told the trainers the trucks were either picking up or delivering freight from the River Valley Animal Foods factory nearby.
The complaint asks for $750,000 for both Jones and Maxwell for negligently causing mental anguish. Each canine was allegedly worth $7,500 and the suit seeks compensation for loss of property.
The suit accuses the Duane Livingston driver of conduct so outrageous an additional award of $750,000 should be awarded to each trainer. The suit seeks punitive damages, meant to discourage similar conduct in the future by the trucking company of $750,000 for each man. Compensatory damages requested total $1,515,000 while punitive damages total $1,500,000.
The trucking company has not yet been served with or responded to the complaint. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan Hickey.
