Behind Closed Doors: Taking Animal Abuse to Court

Animal abuse can remain hidden inside laboratories and factory farms, far from public scrutiny. Attorney Vanessa Shakib uses the courts to challenge what happens in those facilities and hold businesses and government agencies accountable.

In this episode of Better Life for Animals, Cheryl Moss speaks with Vanessa, co-founder and co-director of Advancing Law for Animals. Their conversation explores how existing laws can help reduce suffering, why enforcement matters, and how everyday people can support legal advocacy for animals.

Turning Legal Experience Into Animal Advocacy

After years working in business litigation and consumer protection, Vanessa realized she wanted to put her legal skills toward something she cared deeply about: animals. In 2018, she co-founded Advancing Law for Animals with attorney Ryan Gordon.

Her work combines case development with a willingness to explore legal approaches that can protect animals used in research and industrial food production.

When Animals Are Treated as Property

Vanessa explains how animals’ legal status as property creates obstacles for attorneys seeking to protect them. Although animals experience pain and have interests of their own, bringing those interests before a court requires navigating a system that does not recognize them as independent plaintiffs.

That challenge drives her organization to use existing laws creatively, including laws governing business practices and government conduct.

Following the Funding Behind Animal Research

Government accountability is a central part of Vanessa’s work. In the interview, she discusses taxpayer funding for animal experimentation and a lawsuit brought on behalf of the White Coat Waste Project.

The case challenges what she describes as a “foreign animal lab loophole,” involving different oversight requirements for foreign and domestic laboratories receiving public funding. Her discussion highlights why transparency, reporting, and enforcement matter wherever animals are used.

Challenging Policies That Shield Animal Abuse

Vanessa shares how her organization challenged a USDA policy that, under certain circumstances, prevented inspectors from issuing citations for Animal Welfare Act violations. She explains how a settlement removed that policy, strengthening the ability to hold regulated businesses accountable.

She also discusses litigation involving Cedar, a goat whose slaughter devastated the family who cared for him. While legal action cannot bring Cedar back, Vanessa explains how pursuing accountability can influence future cases involving farmed animals.

Using Existing Laws to Reduce Suffering

Stronger animal protection laws are important, but Vanessa emphasizes that laws already on the books also need to be enforced.

She describes her organization’s use of California’s unfair competition law in cases involving animal laboratories and a lawsuit against Foster Farms on behalf of Animal Equality. These cases illustrate how attorneys can apply laws governing unlawful business practices to conduct that harms animals.

How Everyday People Can Help

You do not need a law degree to support this work. Vanessa encourages listeners to follow animal law organizations, share their cases, contribute when possible, and respond to action alerts.

She also discusses concerns about the Save Our Bacon Act language in the Farm Bill and encourages listeners to speak up for farm animal protections. Public education and civic participation are part of the larger effort to change how society treats animals.

Episode Highlights

[00:00] Introduction

[02:45] The law as a tool for compassion

[4:30] Animals as property needs to stop

[6:00] The U.S. funds billions in animals research

[11:00] Fighting the USDA inspectors

[14:00] Seeing animals differently by raising awareness

[17:30] Explaining the power of the law

[20:30] There is hope for the next generation of activists

[23:15] What “average” citizens can do to make a difference

ABOUT VANESSA SHAKIB

Vanessa is an expert in administrative and constitutional law and a go-to media source for legal analysis of animal-law and regulatory issues. Her work has been featured by CNN, Fox News, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, USA Today, the Guardian, Science Magazine, and more. Vanessa co-founded and co-directs Advancing Law for Animals, a non-profit law firm for our non-human friends. There, she develops impact litigation to further the interests of animals exploited in research and food production, with an emphasis on government transparency and accountability.. Vanessa is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School, and recognized as 2022-2023 Adjunct Professor of the Year. She regularly presents talks as an invited expert in animal law both nationally and abroad.

Prior to animal law, Vanessa specialized in illegal taxation, consumer protection, and inverse condemnation, among other practice areas. Her track record in government oversight informs her work at Advancing Law for Animals, where she has successfully challenged cruel and illegally-promulgated regulations at the federal level, and lack of animal-welfare enforcement at the local level. Vanessa continues to consult on a variety of legal matters through her private practice.

https://www.vanessashakib.com/

https://www.advancinglawforanimals.org/

About Cheryl Moss

Cheryl Moss is the host of the Better Life for Animals podcast, where she shares uplifting stories from sanctuaries and highlights the work of vegan activists, ethical consumers, and animal welfare leaders. She is also the founder of the Funding Blueprint for Sanctuaries summit, designed to empower those involved with sanctuaries to create sustainable funding streams.

A passionate advocate for animal welfare, Cheryl is dedicated to ending factory farming and supporting underrepresented sanctuaries.

Beyond podcasting, Cheryl is a banking professional and an accomplished children’s author. A graduate of Main Street Vegan Academy, she recently added Vystopia Transformation to her resume. The Vystopia work, created by psychologist Clare Mann, focuses on the emotional impact many people experience after becoming aware of animal suffering and exploitation. The training offers tools for resilience, communication, and emotional well-being while continuing to advocate for positive change.

Through her books, Gabriel, Cluck, and Pickle the Pig, Cheryl inspires young readers to embrace kindness, sustainability, and compassion for animals.

When not advocating, she enjoys Pilates and spending time with her rescue dogs and grandchildren. Through her work, writing, and activism, Cheryl continues to inspire positive change for animals and the planet.

https://www.facebook.com/BLFAnimals/