WASHINGTON, May 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Eight families whose beloved dogs drowned on August 14, 2023, while in the custody and care of the Northeast location of District Dogs, Inc., filed a lawsuit yesterday in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia against District Dogs, Inc. and its founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jacob Hensley. The families of the drowned dogs—Elsa, Josie, Malee, Maple, Marcel, Memphis, Pepper, and Zeni—have brought claims to hold Defendants accountable for their gross negligence, trespass, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violations of District statutes relating to unfair or deceptive trade practices.
According to the complaint, the facts are as follows: At approximately 5:00 p.m. on August 14, 2023, hours after the National Weather Service had issued flash flood warnings, more than six feet of water pushed through the doors and windows of the District Dogs Northeast location, inundating the suite—a life-threatening risk District Dogs and Mr. Hensley had known was possible, yet had failed to take any, efforts to prevent or prepare for.
The deaths of these beloved companions were both foreseeable and preventable. August 14, 2023 was not the first time the District Dogs Northeast location (680 Rhode Island Avenue, NE) had flooded. In fact, in September 2020, the then-under-construction space where District Dogs Northeast would be located was completely inundated by floodwaters. In 2022, District Dogs Northeast experienced no fewer than three flooding incidents, including on August 10, 2022, when floodwaters over three feet blocked the doors, trapping staff and dogs inside. Despite the repeated prior flooding and their own staff’s calls for action, District Dogs and its owner continued to operate in the same location while doing nothing to strengthen the location against flooding, provide for a means of evacuation in an emergency, develop or implement an emergency response plan, or train its staff how to manage and respond to flooding incidents.
Tragically, the one action the Defendants did take was to confine the dogs to kennels, an action which only served to trap Elsa, Josie, Malee, Maple, Marcel, Memphis, Pepper, and Zeni, leaving them with no way to escape once the floodwaters rose to the top of the kennels. The Defendants thus not only failed to exercise reasonable care and displayed willful and reckless indifference to the obvious danger to the animals entrusted to their care, but their actions increased the danger, thereby guaranteeing the deaths of the eight dogs.
The Plaintiffs, therefore, have filed suit to hold the defendants accountable for their actions and inexcusable inaction. Counsel for the Plaintiffs are Daniel Marino and Tillman J. Finley of Marino Finley LLP.
The families of Elsa, Josie, Malee, Maple, Marcel, Memphis, Pepper, and Zeni are seeking support from the community to help defray the costs of litigation. More information can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-hold-district-dogs-accountable-for-eight-dogs-deaths.
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SOURCE Marino Finley LLP
