The legal batter between Carole Baskin and Joseph Maldonado-Passage (a.k.a. Joe Exotic) carried on for over seven years and was even played out on a Netflix special. The animal-rights activist strongly criticized the roadside zoo run by Joe Exotic for a long time, deeming it cruel and accusing it of exploiting the big cats that were kept there.
On Jun. 1, Baskin's Big Cat Rescue Corporation won the lawsuit against Greater Wynnewood Development Group, LLC, a company which was originally owned by Exotic. A judge ruled in favor of Baskin, giving her control of nearly 16 acres of land in Garvin County, Oklahoma, which houses an animal park with an impressive array of big cats.
The court order instructs GWDC to move out of Zoo Land premises and it has to be done within 120 days of service of the order. As part of emptying the premises, GWDC needs to remove all zoo animals from the Zoo Land, according to the court order. If the court records are anything go by, Baskin received several vehicles and cabins as part of the judgment.
Baskin, a Florida based animal sanctuary owner has been criticizing Maldonado-Passage's animal park for years. This criticism transformed into a feud that eventually intensified into a court battle. While Maldonado-Passage accused Baskin of trying to destroy his business through an online defaming campaign in the form of videos that she posted on her YouTube channel and other social media platforms.
Baskin, on the other hand, said Exotic was not only abusing the big cats but also opposed how he used tigers to earn profits. Last year, he was convicted in a murder-for-hire plot against his nemesis and violating the Lacey Act and Endangered Species Act. Baskin is currently serving a 22-year sentence.
According to court documents, Baskin tried to pay a contract killer $3,000 to kill Baskin. Aside from that, the documents accused him of shooting and killing five tigers, selling baby lemurs, and making fake papers to claim they were donated. In 2011, a judge ruled in favor of Baskin in an infringement lawsuit against Exotic, who was ordered to pay her $1 million.
In 2016, another suit was filed against Exotic, who Baskin claimed had transferred the Oklahoma property to his mother in an attempt to sneak away from creditors. On Jun. 1, Oklahoma City's federal judge ordered that the property be transferred to Baskin. The current owner of the park, Jeff Lowe's attorney told CNN that the judgment was expected.