As one of the audience of Pit Bulls and Parolees, you may have heard some news about the cast members. One of them is about a lawsuit which happens to Toney Converse. This is what we found when we are looking for the news about lawsuit regarding to Pit Bulls and Parolees. Here are what we found.
Lawsuit Dropped in Pit Bulls and Parolees
When we were looking for some information about Pit Bulls and Parolees lawsuit dropped, the things that we found is about Toney Converse case. Have you heard about this case? If you are a loyal audience of Pit Bulls and Parolees show, you surely know about this case.
According to I Still Love Dogs site which was wrote by Laura Goldman, there was a lawsuit which was filed in June 2015 by Jennifer Stampfel after she visited Villalobos Rescue Center (VRC). VRC is the rescue on the Pit Bulls and Parolees show where Toney Converse who is a parolee featured on the reality show. The New Orleans Advocate reported that after she visited VRC, Toney Converse drugged her, raped her twice, stole her virginity, transmitted an STD to her and impregnated her and threatened to kill her.
Jennifer Stampfel is a seminary student from Pittsburgh, Pa., and she wanted her name to go public with a reason to bring awareness to the situation. She did not only sue Converse but also sued VRC, the owner of VRC, Tahyo Tavern ( a bar which is owned by Torres) and 44 Blue, the production company for Pit Bulls and Parolees all because of failing to supervise Converse.
Torres made a statement that the true and innocent victims here are the dogs of Villalobos Rescue Center. Furthermore she said, “What did they ever do to her that warrants taking away the donations used to feed them, house them, treat them for deadly heartworm disease and ultimately get them to a new home? What kind of person wants to be responsible for causing irreparable damage to hundreds…no, thousands of homeless dogs?”
VRC prepared financially for the lawsuit by closing two satellite locations and consolidating the dogs on a donated property in rural Louisiana. In the past season of Pit Bulls and Parolees, they did not mention the lawsuits. However, they showed Torres and her family together with volunteers to get the new property ready for the dogs.
One year later, the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office made a decision not to prosecute Converse. First Assistant District Attorney Graymond Martin in a letter to New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison wrote that their office had concluded that based on the facts presented, the witnesses interviewed and the circumstances described in the report, the matter did not merit prosecution. So, the civil suit was still pending.
The attorney of Converse stated that Stampfel’s allegations was disgusting and defamatory. Because of it, Converse had a plan to countersue for defamation. Converse made a statement to WDSU that everything about their relationship was consensual from the day she came down to the day she left.
VRC wrote in a news that this horrible lawsuit was not only draining them emotionally and physically, but also financially. So, with much thought, they decided to close down two of their main satellite locations and consolidate the dogs onto a property that they have been given out in a rural country environment of Louisiana.
Furthermore, VRC wrote that even though it would take quite a bit of time to get things settled in and built, this was a project they need to start immediately if they were to get through these difficult times. VRC also wrote that in so many ways having a TV show could have its perks, but in other ways it could bring out the ugly in some people. The saddest part of all is that they as humans would move on and survive, but their dogs would not.
For your information, according to the I Still Love Dogs site, as of September 2019, the Villalobos Rescue Sanctuary Fund could raise over $137,000.
About Pit Bulls and Parolees and Villalobos Rescue Center (VRC)
Pit Bulls and Parolees is a reality tv series from America which aired on Animal Planet. In 2009, this show was started. This show focuses on the Villalobos Rescue Center. The show has a mission to fight misconceptions about pit bulls and other the same dogs. Besides, this show has also another mission to give employment and a stable transition to recent parolees who are trying to go back to society.
If you have watched this show from the beginning, you know that that Tia Torres started her shelter in Agua Dulce, California. And then, in 2011, she decided to move the shelter to the Greater New Orleans in Louisiana.
In the episodes of the show, you will watch the daily activities in Villalobos Rescue Center such as rescuing dogs, adopting dogs and many more stories. In the show, you will see the cast members including Tia Torres, Tania, Mariah, Kanani, Moe, Lizzie, Mariah (M2) and the parolees who work for the rescue.
Now, how about Villalobos Rescue Center (VRC)? According to the Villalobos Rescue Center website, VRC started initially as a wolf or wolf hybrid rescue. It happened in the 90’s back in California where it was long before there was a tv show. Tia Torres who is the owner of Villalobos Rescue Center, was the contracted dog trainer for the City of Los Angeles Animal Services for 11 years.
In 2006, Villalobos Rescue Center started to employ parolees and then because of economic reasons and major changes in county laws, this rescue center moved to Louisiana in 2011. In Louisiana, this rescue center has a location in the city of New Orleans and also in the rural or country environment of Assumption Parish. This rescue also has a location in Northeast Texas for wolfdogs only. There is overwhelming need to help other dogs so that now this rescue become a rescue for all breed but of course the main focuses is on Pit Bulls.