Emily Sortor  |  March 25, 2020

Category: Covid-19

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

PetConnect allegedly continues to sell puppies despite a California order closing nonessential stores.

PetConnect has filed a lawsuit accusing pet sellers of selling puppy mill puppies, in violation of both a 2019 law banning the practice, and California’s current “stay at home” rule implemented on March 19 of this year.

The puppy mill lawsuit was filed by PetConnect Rescue Inc., a Maryland-based nonprofit. The nonprofit says that the pet sellers in question sell mass-produced “puppy mill” puppies bred in Missouri and mislabel them as “rescues” to be sold in California.

Allegedly, this is done to skirt a 2019 California law that banned the retail sale of non-rescue dogs, cats, and rabbits in the state.

PetConnect asserts that the sellers are continuing this already illegal operation despite the California governor’s order implemented on March 19, which requires Californians to “stay at home” except for essential services, in an effort to slow the spread of a global pandemic — a new form of coronavirus, known as COVID-19.

Did you purchase a puppy from PetConnect? Get legal help by clicking here.

The puppy mill lawsuit explains that this practice violates California law, puts the public at increased risk of infection by COVID-19, and defrauds customers. Allegedly, customers are also harmed because they are misled into thinking that they are adopting a rescue dog in need of a home, when instead, they are purchasing a puppy bred in a puppy mill.

PetConnect argues that the pet sellers have created a fake nonprofit with the misleading name of Pet Connect Rescue Inc. — the same name as the real nonprofit’s name, but with a space between the words “Pet” and “Connect.”

According to PetConnect, who filed the lawsuit, the only purpose of the fake nonprofit is to provide puppy mill puppies to “notorious puppy mill dealers.”

To support these allegations, PetConnect notes that some of the sellers named as defendants in the fake rescue puppy lawsuit have already faced similar claims of selling puppy mill puppies in violation of California law.

Allegedly, consumers are misled by the puppy milll sellers into thinking that they are supporting the legitimate nonprofit PetConnect, and will pay up to thousands of dollars for designer or purebred dogs sold to them. The sellers and their fake nonprofit, Pet Connect, encourage customers to make impulse buys of these expensive, fake rescue dogs by making financing available through lending companies.

PetCenter puppies may not actually be rescues, according to a recent coronavirus.

The California puppy sale lawsuit goes on to say that the fake nonprofit has no physical location or contact information, which is reportedly part of the fraudulent organization’s scheme to avoid California law.

According to PetConnect, many customers who have unknowingly purchased a sick puppy mill puppy from the fake nonprofit will contact PetConnect Rescue, in an attempt to find Pet Connect Rescue, inquiring about the source of the puppies.

PetConnect argues that the fraud does not stop there. The nonprofit alleges that employees at stores owned by the fake nonprofit have gone so far as to give out the contact information for PetConnect, the real nonprofit, when consumers ask where the puppy mill puppies came from.

The puppy mill lawsuit argues that this scheme perpetuated by the fake nonprofit has caused significant injury to the real nonprofit. Allegedly, the nonprofit has been harmed financially, because their staff have spent significant time and energy dealing with the fraud, and the organization has put “significant organizational resources” towards protecting their reputation and minimizing the impact of the fraud. 

The nonprofit adds that this scheme “frustrates [PetConnect’s] core mission of rescuing animals,” and impedes the nonprofit’s ability to do so, because their resources must go instead towards fending off the fraud and misinformation put forth by the fake nonprofit, Pet Connect. 

PetConnect stresses that this operation continues to function despite California’s order to stay in place. Allegedly, the fraudulent organization has chosen to put profits ahead of public health by operating against the governor’s orders.

PetConnect seeks an immediate temporary restraining order, a preliminary injection, and a permanent injunction to stop Pet Connect and the puppy sellers from continue their operations in an effort to protect PetConnect, dog owners, and the general public.

The Maryland-based PetConnect Rescue nonprofit is represented by Bryan W. Pease and John T. Maher.

The Pet Connect Puppy Mill Sale California Law Violation Lawsuit is PetConnect Rescue Inc. v. David Salinas, et al., Case No. 3:20-cv-00537, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. 

Join a Free Coronavirus Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you believe your rights were violated in a way that is directly related to the coronavirus pandemic, you may qualify to join this coronavirus class action lawsuit investigation. 

Join Here

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. By submitting your comment and contact information, you agree to receive marketing emails from Top Class Actions regarding this and/or similar lawsuits or settlements, and/or to be contacted by an attorney or law firm to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you if you qualify. Required fields are marked *

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.