Netflix
Joseph Maldonado-Passage (also known as Joe Exotic) has filed a federal lawsuit against several government agencies, as well as his former business partner. In his complaint, the imprisoned star of Netflix’s docuseries titled Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, is seeking $94 million in damages.
According to the lawsuit, the former Oklahoma zookeeper and country music singer claimed $73,840,000 for his loss of personal property; 18 years of research; and care of 200 generic tigers and cross-breeds for 365 days a year, at a boarding rate of $60/day per animal.
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The additional $15 million is for false arrest, false imprisonment, selective enforcement and the death of his mother, Shirley.
The $94 million lawsuit, which is filed against the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and government agents, accused them of violating his civil rights.
In the lawsuit, Maldonado-Passage alleged that government entities targeted him by putting a “generic animal” – a tiger – on the endangered species list, which allowed them to file charges against him to promote their alleged “animal rights agenda.”
Maldonado-Passage also alleged that a wildlife agent “knowingly accepted statements he knew were false, allowing his witnesses to lie under oath. Misleading a grand jury and not seeking the truth to further an animal rights agenda. False arrest, entrapment, false imprisonment, all contributing to my mother’s death.”
He also claimed he was targeted “because [he] is an openly gay male with the largest collection of generic tigers and crossbreeds.”
Also, Maldonado-Passage accused his former business partner, Jeffrey Lowe, of filing false statements to federal agents. “He was the main person in this entrapment scheme to take my zoo for free,” he alleged. “Changed my medicine with illegal drugs, stole my animals under fraudulent reasons.”
Maldonado-Passage alleged Lowe “had the most to gain” by his mother’s death and “having her cremated before announcing that she had died, therefor making Jeffery Lowe the sole owner of the zoo land and all assets on the zoo land including [Maldonado-Passage’s] animals.”
The former zookeeper was found guilty in 2019 for paying a hitman $3,000 to eliminate his rival, Carole Baskin, an animal activist and big-cat lover who runs a sanctuary called the Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida.
Lowe’s wife, Lauren Lowe, said she and her husband are not concerned about Maldonado-Passage’s lawsuit.
“He has to be approved by a judge in order for it to go through and we have been told that it has a chance of not being approved,” she told PEOPLE.
Lauren said she and her husband will continue to take care of the animals from Maldonado-Passage’s zoo, which were left in their care.
“They are our family,” she said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You give up a lot to care for these animals and we are going to keep doing that… We want to make sure they live well. Joe abandoned all these cats. We spend countless dollars just trying to bring these guys back up to health and making sure they get the best food they can get and healthcare too.”
Meanwhile, Carole Baskin has also spoken out since the release of the documentary and slammed Netflix for its portrayal of her and for insinuating she is responsible for the death of her husband.