An Oregon man’s dogged pursuit of the truth has earned him nearly $1.4 million.
Joshua Smith was left stranded when his feline companion, Frank, mysteriously disappeared.
But Smith wore a Cheshire cat grin this week after a Multnomah County Circuit Court jury deliberated less than two hours before awarding him $1.375 million for the loss of his 3-year-old tabby, oregonlive.com reported.
Smith had previously filed a lawsuit, alleging that her landlord had “kidnapped” the furball.
“The jury’s message must be loud and clear to the owners,” said purring attorney Michael Fuller, who won the case. “Tenants’ rights need to be respected, especially when it comes to pets.”
The rags-to-riches story began when Smith, 41, encountered the apparent stray cat on the street in 2017 and took it into the humble room he was renting at a drug recovery group home in Portland, according to court records show.
Smith returned home on April 29, 2019, to discover that Frank had mysteriously disappeared. She sued his landlord, Devon Andrade, and the recovery home business, Pinestreet LLC, days later, the outlet reported.
Happy plaintiff, Joshua Smith, with his lawyer, Michael Fuller.Michael Fuller/OlsenDaines
As fur flew in court, landlord Andrade confessed to robbing Frank, saying it was a violation of Smith’s lease to have a pet, according to the media report. The heartless owner confessed and said that he asked his girlfriend to drop Frank off at a local shelter.
“It turned out that the people on the jury were also animal lovers,” Fuller said.
While Smith won a lot of money in court, he did not get Frank back. Veterinarians found a microchip in the cat and returned it to its original owner.
Joshua Smith is suing his landlord for “kidnapping” his four-legged friend Frank, claiming he was violating his lease to have a pet. Court Exhibits via Michael Fuller
In the years since the lawsuit was filed, Smith married, remained in recovery, moved to the Oregon resort town of Seaside, population 7,000, and started the Handsome Wolf barbershop.
“The most important thing was that I had my day in court,” Smith said. “I was very lucky because I told the truth, no matter what.”
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn