Priscilla Feral, president of Darien-based Friends of Animals in Darien, was found to be in contempt of court in Texas last week, for illegally withholding a non-profit organization's mailing list.
Court documents indicated that Feral, alongside Primarily Primates Inc. President Stephen Tello, violated a restraining order on Oct. 13 and now must "desist from any and all activities on behalf of PPI," including fund-raising to any person on PPI's mailing list.
However, Feral is still allowed to raise money on behalf of Friends of Animals to aid San Antonio, Texas-based Primarily Primates in legal expenses as long as it has a clear purpose and does not prevent donors from contributing to Primarily Primates.
Friends of Animals came to the aid of Primarily Primates in its ongoing legal battle over a controversial decision to move seven Ohio State University chimpanzees that were brought to the non-profit's animal sanctuary in Texas, earlier this year to the federally funded primate sanctuary Chimp Haven in Louisiana.
Primarily Primates claimed the move was being done in violation of a court-ordered stay requiring receiver Lee Theisen-Watt, who was put in place to raise funds for the sanctuary, to receive court permission before undertaking any type of action to move or euthanize any of the animals, who have retired from service in cognitive research studies.
Feral and Tello have sent letters critical of Watt in an attempt to thwart her ability to successfully raise funds from donors in support of Primarily Primates. An assistant attorney general working on the case contends the pair was asking donors to send money to them instead.
The move originally sparked emotions when it was not communicated to Primarily Primates employees -- that stayed on at the sanctuary under Watt's oversight -- or its attorneys.
As part of the court order, Feral must return all money she received from Primarily Primates' donors in response to her fund-raising letter dated Oct. 30 to the Travis County Probate Court #1 in Austin, Texas. The court will then return the money to Primarily Primates.
Feral was also ordered by the court to turn over all Primarily Primates donor lists, passwords or computer records to Watt by Wednesday. In addition, she is to provide, in writing, the amount of money she received as a result of the fund-raising effort by Sunday to the Texas Attorney General's office and Watt.
It is unclear how much money Friends of Animals has received on behalf of Primarily Primates.
In an interview Tuesday, Feral said the mailing is a "non-issue" at this point and that she doesn't want to make the proceedings into a referendum on Friends of Animals. She called the move a "very destructive assault on a very unique place.
"This animal sanctuary is an exceptional one and it didn't deserve this kind of hostile takeover," she said, referring to Watt's appointment as the non-profit's receiver. "(Watt) is supposed to be raising money for the sanctuary but it is clear to me that she only wants to liquidate the place and sell the land."