Status-of-animal verdicts in U.S., Britain

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  September 2002:

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on
July 9 that a 10-year-old dog named Barney may
not be subject of a suit seeking visitation
rights,  filed by Anthony DeSanctis against his
ex-wife Linda Hurley Pritchard,  as the dog is
not a legal person.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Lillian Y.
Lim on July 5 ruled that jurors may be told that
a 38-year-old pony named Lucy who was euthanized
in 2000 by the San Diego Humane Society had no
market value,  but may not hear about her
emotional value to Herb Niederheiser,  of Ramona,
California,  who is suing the humane society for
allegedly unlawfully seizing her.  Niederheiser
had Lucy  for 25 years.

Judge Paul Singleton of Gloucest-er
County Court,  Britain,  on July 4 accepted the
testimony of trainer Richard Richard-son that a
horse named Tilly kept by dressage  competitor
Gill James suffered mental trauma from being hit
by a car driven by Louise Cox,  a neighbor of
James,  and awarded James £2,712 in compensation
and damages.  The Royal SPCA and the British
Horse Society agreed that it was the first case
they knew of in which a British court recognized
compensable psychological harm to an animal.