What a difference a new court can make!

A little over a year ago, a trial court in Connecticut dismissed a personal injury lawsuit brought by the parents of a young boy who was bitten on the cheek by a horse named Scuppy. The family had been visiting Glendale Farms, a dual-purpose business where flowers, vegetables and other plants were sold and where horses were boarded. Visiting the horses apparently was a popular pastime for customers at Glendale, and the child was bitten after the family walked over to Scuppy’s paddock and started petting the horse.

The farm owners argued that they had no liability for the injury because Scuppy had no history of biting and the judge agreed.

After a review of state law involving personal injuries suffered during encounters with other animals, the trial judge wrote: “the owner of a horse, classified as a domesticated animal, is only liable to an injured plaintiff if the owner had actual or constructive knowledge of the horse’s propensity to attack other people or animals