Friday, a Walworth County Circuit Court Judge dismissed two felony counts of Mistreatment of an Animal. One of the charges was against Justin Corman, and the other, the business he manages, Wilson Farm Meats. How this case got filed, is why it has raised a lot of eyebrows.

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According to court documents, on March 9, 2022, Corman was bringing a steer to be slaughtered when he used “explicit language” and “audibly smacking its rump with his hand.” On this day there was a USDA Inspector present and he or she witnessed the language used by Corman. The steer had a fractured tail, which KCE is told is common, due to them wagging their tails frequently and hitting objects. The USDA Inspector observed the animal “vocalizing” with its mouth open. “Needless to say, steer don’t speak or understand English, so they aren’t offended by swear words,” a local farmer told KCE.

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Two animal rights activist groups, Animal Equality of California, and Animal Partisan of Virginia, asked the Walworth County District Attorney to file charges against the Farm and Corman. The DA refused, citing insufficient evidence. Unhappy with this, Animal Equality and Animal Partisan initiated a “John Doe” case on May 28, 2024, more than two years after the fact. In a john Doe case, any citizen can ask a judge to file criminal charges. It is an extremely rare legal method in Wisconsin and John Does are rarely successful. In this case the two activist group used two attorneys to file the case, Joseph Goode and Maura Logue – both of Laffey, Leitner & Goode, LLC. The law firm is a seemingly left-wing firm that proudly displays on its website that it’s a member of the “Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce.”

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The John Doe petition landed on the desk of then-Chief Judge Jason Rossell. A lawyer involved in the case asked for a new judge, and Rossell denied the request, writing “because it’s an ex parte action in a criminal case. [N]ot a civil case.”

Rossell held a hearing on July 24, 2024, to decide if he would allow the two felony charges to proceed. The Walworth DA told Judge Rossell that he wouldn’t be filing any charges. Judge Rossell examined sworn testimony and ordered the felonies to be charged. In a seemingly procedural work-around, the Walworth DA filed the criminal charges and the case was transferred to a Walworth Judge, Estee Scholtz. The Walworth DA immediately filed a motion to dismiss, writing that he couldn’t prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Friday was a hearing on the motion to dismiss. An activist lawyer named William Lowry, who founded Animal Partisan, was in court with attorney Andrea Contreras, of Laffey, Leitner & Goode, LLC. She asked the judge to allow her to a intervene in the matter and allow Lowry to be admitted, temporarily, to practice law in Wisconsin. Judge Scholtz denied both attorneys’ requests to join the matter.

Judge Scholtz told the parties that she found the situation “strange, because usually a criminal case starts with a complaint to law enforcement,” said Scholtz. “The district attorney says there’s a lack of evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.” Kenosha’s judge charged the case without any investigation. Scholtz continued: “It does seem a little strange to the court, certainly, that the DA can say they won’t file a criminal charge, which then prompts the John Doe, and then the district attorney can agree to file and then move to dismiss. However, that’s how the legislature wrote the law . . . and it appears the defendant has a good reputation in the community, is gainfully employed.”

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Judge Scholtze then dismissed the complaint. A local farmer, Chris Leker, that supports Wilson Meats, was happy with the judge’s decision to dismiss the case, but was still frustrated that it has progressed this far. “I don’t understand how two out-of-state activist groups can ask a judge to file felony charges when the prosecutor says ‘there is nothing here.’ Why the Kenosha Judge charged this family-run business with felonies is suspicious. Who is he working for?” said Leker.

KCE spoke with Justin Corman, the defendant, who said “I’m happy that it got dismissed,” but said that he believed his reputation was placed in danger. “It certainly puts a bad light on me and the business.” The courtroom Friday was packed with supporters of Wilson Farm Meats.

“While the result of [Friday’s] hearing is not what we had hoped for, we’re grateful for Judge Scholtz’s thoughtful consideration of our positions and the legal issues involved,” said founder and legal counsel for Animal Partisan Will Lowrey. “While the hearing centered on complicated legal procedures, it’s important to remember that at the heart of this case is the violent mistreatment of an animal in his final vulnerable moments before he was slaughtered. We appreciate the opportunity to potentially refile the case in the future and remain determined to seek justice in this matter,“ added Lowrey.

Animal Equality, Animal Partisan and representing attorneys with Laffey, Leitner & Goode, LLC issued the following joint statement: 

“We are disappointed by the Court’s decision to dismiss this case at the district attorney’s request. Animal Equality and Animal Partisan pursued this action with one clear goal: to advocate for animals used for meat in Wisconsin and hold meat processing facilities accountable for their treatment of animals. While we are proud to have fought for justice, we wish only that the district attorney had more aggressively pursued the rights of the animal victimized in this case.”