Because Stephen Kyprianides kept 15 dogs, 16 cats, 30 pigeons, and an iguana "in crowded and unsanitary conditions inside his home," the Warwick Valley Humane Society took possession of the animals.
Kyprianides later sued for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress when he learned the Society had euthanized some of the creatures.
After the Orange County Supreme Court dismissed his case, Kyprianides appealed to the Appellate Division, Second Department, which affirmed the dismissal.
The Society 's conduct didn't rise to a level which supported an emotional distress claim, particularly since his supposed trauma was based on the loss of animals -- a theory which New York law doesn't currently recognize.
Now isn't that inhumane?
To download a copy of the Appellate Division's decision, please use this link: Kyprianides v. Warwick Val. Humane Socy.