Keep this where it is...
While I don't know Steve and actually hope that things work out, I really don't see any good news on the horizen. Liability is one of the major reasons we don't mess with venomous at this point. I feel that we need to have an extemely good attorney on retainer before we could ever begin to keep venomous where others could even view them and especially before we could sell them. That and s ton of insurance to cover our backsides.
Unfortunately, even though I forsee a doomed scenario when/if this case unfolds, I don't think this thread should be removed or editted by Rich. It serves as a terrible reminder of what can happen when we let our guard down for even one customer. There are just too many other issues that come up in this thread that everyone in the biz/hobby should be VERY aware of to eliminate it. We've all got to be educated sometimes and often the lessons we learn are distasteful. This just happens to be one of them.
I am actually suprised, with the Hamburg show in PA and all, that exact fine points of the law are not known. Likewise, I'd be extemely interested to learn more about a minor who has a state (or was it local) permit for venomous, as this may be another issue that should be addressed separately for all to learn about and make inquiries in their own local and/or state jurisdictions.
Steve, I'm sorry this happened to you. Actually sorry to hear about it happening to anybody here. But it did and now has to be dealt with. Simple advice:
First thing Monday morning, be on the phone with an attorney (a damned good one) and get him/her hired to represent you. It's going to cost you out the wazoo and no way around it.
Second, don't reply to this message or any other, PERIOD!!!, regardless of how irritated it may make you. While I wish you'd have clamed up earlier, you've already said way too much on here. Any correspondence you have with anyone who writes here or that you want to contact for advice should definitely be kept out of a public forum. Try direct e-mail. Likewise, I'd save the "important stuff" on my computer, purge my system, re-load it and then keep all of these communications to a strictly web-based e-mail where no copy of it was available on my computer in case it were to be called into evidence.
Third, start getting ready for a large pay-out in case you lose the case. If it's going to happen, losing that is, hopefully you'll be able to settle out of court quietly and with non-disclosure agreements signed and filed properly. I truly fear that this is a lost case and you have my sympathies about it already. Your best hope is that you get an attorney who can make this go away, quickly and quietly, with no more being said or filed. If you do indeed lose, be prepared to lose your venomous animals and/or permit(s) for at least a set amount of time.
Fourth, get yourself educated about the fine points of the venomous laws so no more mistakes can be made. Set up a safety net for yourself and your business so that this can never happen again.
I hate to sound like a naysayer of doom, but better to be prepared for the worst while hoping/praying for the best. Either way, you're better prepared for the outcome. And if it should work out in your favor, you're still better off for it. This is a scary scenario and while I'm glad it's not me, I wish it weren't anybody, including you.
One last time, PLEASE!!!, SO NOT RESPOND TO THIS WITHIN THIS THREAD!!! Take everything to web-based e-mail.
David Jobes
