Since June 2, Tonia Haddix has been fined $50 a day because she reportedly has not complied with a consent decree she reached with the People of the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to settle a lawsuit over the ownership of seven chimpanzees that were housed in a Festus-area sanctuary, according to court documents.
Court records also show she will have to give up all the chimps in her custody when facilities at a Florida sanctuary are ready to house the animals.
Haddix said one of the seven chimps she had been caring for since 2018 – 38-year-old Tonka – died over the weekend of May 29, after having a stroke or heart attack on May 24.
“He was favoring his left side,” Haddix said. “I called the vet, and we started medications. He (the vet) also came out and did X-rays, and (Tonka’s) heart has been enlarged since the first assessment I did in 2020.”
Haddix said she has been paying the fines for not complying with the consent decree with donations from exotic animal owners and lovers raised through a GoFundMe account.
She also said she plans to fight court orders that will require her to give up ownership of the remaining six chimps after she was found in contempt for a second time on June 1.
“We are just beginning,” Haddix said. “We will go to the Supreme Court if we have to. I love these chimps, and they are not going anywhere. I’m fighting for all of them. They are not moving until we go to court.”
Jared Goodman, a lawyer for PETA, said Haddix can appeal the latest ruling, but he does not believe she has a basis for an appeal.
He also said facilities at Center of Great Apes in Wauchula, Fla., where the remaining chimps are to be transferred to, are expected to be completed by the end of August.
“We are happy to have a clear order from the court indicating what the consent decree already required for Haddix’s noncompliance under the decree,” Goodman said. “Now, we are waiting for the sanctuary to be ready to take the chimpanzees.”
Haddix, who is from Clover, took over custody of the chimps to end a lawsuit PETA filed in 2016 against Connie Casey, who previously owned and operated the Missouri Primate Foundation, formerly known as Chimparty, which provided chimps for parties, television ads and movies. The facility, 12338 Hwy. CC, south of Festus has since been closed.
PETA claimed in its suit against Casey that the chimps – Tammy, Connor, Candy, Kerry, Crystal, Mikayla and the late Tonka – were being kept in inadequate conditions and their treatment violated the federal Endangered Species Act.
Haddix was added to the lawsuit after taking over ownership and has been battling the case since 2019.
It seemed that Haddix and PETA had come to terms when a consent agreement was completed in October 2020.
In the deal, Haddix agreed to transfer ownership of Tammy, Connor, Candy and Kerry to the Center for Great Apes. The sanctuary is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, according to the agreement.
The agreement said Haddix would be allowed to retain ownership of the rest of the chimps if she built habitats with specific space requirements and construction standards. She also had to hire a full-time caregiver with at least two years of experience caring for captive chimps, hire a part-time maintenance worker and recruit experienced volunteers to provide care for the animals.
PETA claimed Haddix was not following the decree and requested the judge force Haddix to give up ownership of all the chimps.
On April 7, U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry ruled that Haddix was in contempt of court for violating the settlement agreement she had reached with PETA. At that time, Haddix said she was given 14 days to find a lawyer and come to new terms with PETA, or she would be fined $50 a day until she complied with the agreement.
Haddix said she still has not found a lawyer to represent her and continues to search for legal representation.
Haddix also has sent numerous single-page letters to Perry, including one that said she could not find a lawyer to represent her and another claiming her 13th Amendment rights, which bars “indentured servitude,” are being violated by the decree, which says Haddix is responsible for caring for Tammy, Connor, Candy and Kerry at the Festus-area facility, even though she has relinquished ownership of the chimps.
Haddix had moved Crystal, Mikayla and the late Tonka to a facility she is constructing in Eldon southwest of Jefferson City. She said an indoor facility to house the chimps is there, and she is nearing completion of an outdoor facility.
In court filings, PETA said Haddix has not submitted the proper documentation to prove she has constructed the Eldon facility to the standards agreed upon, and she has not proven that she has complied or is complying with the other requirements of the decree.
In the June 1 civil contempt filing, Perry wrote, “Haddix is either incapable of or unwilling to provide the level of care for the three chimpanzees that she agreed to provide – and that I ordered her to provide – by the explicit terms of the consent decree.”
Haddix said she plans to file a complaint against Perry, claiming the judge is biased in favor of PETA.
“She avoids all of my motions,” Haddix said. “Every time I file a motion, she never answers them. The case is biased.”
Goodman said he does not believe Perry has shown favoritism toward PETA.
“She has been impartial the entire time, and I think the record very clearly reflects that,” Goodman said.
Click to read past Leader coverage on the events that led to "Chimp Crazy."