Jury Votes in Headwaters Hounds' Favor on All Counts

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Martha Drum

In a significant triumph for Headwaters Hounds (CO), for Master and huntsman Alison Brown, and for the sport of mounted foxhunting itself, a Colorado jury found in favor of the hunt on three separate matters at the conclusion of a jury trial in Chaffee County last week. First, the jurors determined that the hunt did not constitute a legal nuisance, as alleged by neighbors Chris Vely and Laura Barton. Second, in a countersuit brought by Brown, the jury found that Vely and Barton had defamed Brown in online and print materials and awarded her damages, along with additional damages to the hunt itself for economic and other harm. Finally, the jury concluded that hunt activities meet the requirements of Colorado law to be considered an agricultural operation.