The former Santa Anita employee suit claims lying amid the death of horses
A lawsuit against Santa Anita executives arrested the legendary track officials to blame the coaches in the death crisis in 2019.
The lawsuit, which was filed by the former propaganda director Mike Willman, claims that Santa Anita “” directed direct and indirect instructions [Willman] To mislead government investigators, organizers and the public about what was already happening, and below confusion and confusion so that the audience does not discover the reasons that make many horses die. “
Wilman’s lawyers filed the lawsuit on November 27 after the 19 -year -old employee was dismissed in March 2024, allegedly directed to one of his employees. The lawsuit claims that it was a joke, claimed revenge, illegal end, and age and defamation.
A request for suspension from the Stroonach group, the owner of Santa Anita and the defendant named, was not returned immediately.
The lawsuit continues to say that Santa Anita “started a strategy to undermine and distort reputation [Willman’s] Credibility when they realized that he would not mislead the organizers and the public through many of the deaths that have been done. “
In 2019, 37 hp died either the race or training in Santa Anita. A national story is angry with animal rights advocates and public interrogation from the public about the cause of the death of all horses.
Initially, all kinds of factors were martyred, from the surface of the race and rain to a group of reasons that were considered “multiple factors”. That time has not been seen in the appointment of PJ Campo as Vice President of the race for Stroonach paths. CAMPO was running the channel’s race office when a similar rise in deaths occurred in 2011 and 2012. A study indicated the race office, which encouraged coaches to operate their horses to increase the field sizes.
“There was pressure from the racing office for the coaches to run,” Jerry Billy, a Faris Hall Faris who was also at the Investigation Committee in the Channel Hall that was looking for deaths, told the Times in 2019.
California’s indigenous coach members issued similar complaints in 2019.
The investigation conducted by Los Angeles County lawyer surveyed the path and coaches for any criminal violations. Times also concluded that there are many factors in death, but there is no single cause.
In the lawsuit, Wilman claims that the plan to blame the trainers for deaths occurred after animal rights defenders organized a protest in Santa Anita with graves fue evidence for every horse that died. At that point, the death toll was 20.
In an email to Santa Anita officials, Eric Sendler, one of the path lawyers, wrote: “Beta [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals] The statement puts responsibility for the coaches, but not the same path. Beta was relatively consistent with this topic as coaches, not the path. “
Wellman replied by email: “We all dump in an incredibly negative light here. These twenty stones in the Gate did not have the name of the coach on Sunday. Santa Anita was filmed as a killing ground.”
The lawsuit continues to claim:
“This is a dramatic axis in the” blame game “to stay away from surface, soil, weather and management problems for itself, to blame the knights.”
The lawsuit continues to say that the Celebrity Hall coach, Jerry Holindovir, who was banned from Santa Anita on June 22, 2019, has not broke any protocols or rules set by the Horse Race Council in California or Santa Anita.
“This dramatic axis has been organized by the Mercury Crisis Management,” the case claims. “when [Willman] He did not agree to this axis because it was misleading, very liar and is likely to be illegal, [Willman] He was said to be in line with the desires of Mercury. “
Holundovir went to sue the Stroonach and Santa Anita Group. The case was settled, but the conditions were closed.
Mr. Matthews, a lawyer for Willman, said in a press statement on Wednesday that Wilman was a loyal and dedicated employee in Santa Anita Park nearly two decades ago. “He suddenly ended and his reputation was distorted, all because he refused to lie to the authorities. General and organizational on the disturbing number of horse deaths in the race track. We intend to hold Santa Anita Park accountable for its illegal actions and search for justice for Mr. Willman. “