By Jim McBride
In a ruling of international significance in the horse industry, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday overturned an Amarillo jury’s decision that found the Amarillo-based American Quarter Horse Association violated anti-trust laws by barring cloned quarter horses from its registry.
In 2012, Jason Abraham, a rancher from Canadian, and Gregg Veneklasen, a veterinarian from Canyon, sued the 280,000-member organization, seeking to overturn Rule 227a, which has barred cloned horses from the AQHA registry since 2004.
In July 2013, an Amarillo federal jury determined an AQHA committee and top AQHA officials violated state anti-trust law and the federal Sherman Anti-Trust Act by conspiring to bar cloned horses from its horse registry. Jurors, however, awarded no damages to Abraham and Veneklasen, who sought to register their cloned horses.
The AQHA later appealed the decision to the 5th Circuit court, which found in the association’s favor in its ruling Wednesday.
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CLICK HERE to read the AQHA position regarding lawsuit and cloned horses
Source: Amarillo Globe News
Posted by Jami Howell