SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - An appeals court has ruled against a man who sued Washington State University over the euthanization of his sick dog at the school’s veterinary teaching hospital.
The Spokesman-Review reports (https://bit.ly/2o76qxU) Robert Repin’s dog was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and he agreed to have the Alaskan malamute euthanized.
Repin claimed WSU veterinarians botched the procedure, causing his dog to suffer, and that he’s entitled to damages for emotional distress.
Washington’s Division III Court of Appeals ruled against Repin this week.
State law doesn’t allow people to receive emotional-distress damages for the wrongful deaths of pets.
But Chief Judge George Fearing wrote a concurring opinion “to advocate a change in the law,” calling on the state Supreme Court to rule that pets can be as emotionally valuable as people in cases of medical malpractice.
WSU officials say they can’t comment on pending litigation.
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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, https://www.spokesman.com
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