Decisions Impacting Companion Animals and Their Owners

Experienced animal law practitioners discuss Flanders v. Goodfellow and Deblase v. Hill, both decided in 2025. Flanders, decided in April by the Court of Appeals and representing a major shift in the law of New York, allows a plaintiff in a dog bite case to recover based upon a showing of mere negligence rather than proof of the defendant’s prior knowledge of the dog’s vicious propensities, thereby aligning New York with most other states in this regard.

The second case, Deblase v. Hill, a June 2025 decision from Kings County Supreme Court, expands the definition of “immediate family” under the “zone of danger” legal doctrine to include the family dog, opening the door for a plaintiff to recover damages when her dog was struck by a car and killed in her presence.

Speakers

Nora Constance Marino, Esq., Law Offices of Nora Constance Marino

Spencer Lo, Esq., Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP)