When potentially infected monkeys escaped in Kentucky, attorney Brian Dettman had a unique reaction – this was something he’d studied in law school. Bar exam preparation includes hypotheticals about wild animals escaping and causing injuries, and who bears liability when that happens.
The internet being what it is, one commenter responded in character: ‘I’m one of these monkeys and this dude is lying. I’m not sick, I’m just tryna be free. Leave me tf alone.’
While the scenario sounds absurd, it raises real legal questions. Property owners who keep dangerous animals can be held strictly liable for injuries those animals cause. If you’re ever injured by an escaped animal – whether from a zoo, research facility, or private collection – there may be legal recourse available.
*Comments referenced above are from social media discussions, not client testimonials, and were accurate as of the time this article was created.*
Wild Infected Monkeys in Kentucky: A Bar Exam Question Come to Life
I’ve been preparing for the wild infected monkeys my entire life.
https://www.tiktok.com/@dettmanlawinjurylawyer/video/7567365782988950839
Happy Halloween! I’m dressed up like a shark today because that’s what every lawyer should probably be dressed up as on Halloween. Nonetheless, there are monkeys that are wild in Kentucky. These are potentially infected monkeys, which means that if they bite you, you’ve got a problem. I’m trying not to laugh, but this is a bar exam question. This is a situation during your third year of law school – there’s probably 15 to 20 hypotheticals that involve infected monkeys getting loose in the community and who to sue when something goes haywire. So I’ve been preparing for this my whole life. If you get bit by one of these monkeys, you know who to call.
