Aurora foils lawsuit over pit bull law
Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News
Published February 23, 2006 at midnight
A Brighton woman's attempt to have Aurora's pit bull ordinance overturned on constitutional grounds has failed after a judge ruled in favor of the city.
"We are very gratified that the judge rejected each and every claim against the enforcement of our pit bull ordinance," Charlie Richardson, Aurora's city attorney, said Wednesday.
Khristina Villani, who filed the lawsuit in November, did not return calls Wednesday.
In a 12-page decision issued Feb. 8, Arapahoe County District Judge Michael Spear dismissed all but one claim (Villani's right to sue) in her lawsuit. He also found that most of her complaints were addressed by the new law.
In October, Aurora passed an ordinance that required all pit bulls to be licensed by Jan. 31, and required owners to meet a long list of requirements. Violations carry fines up to $700 and a possible one-year jail sentence. No new pit bull dogs will be allowed in the city.
Villani, who lives in Brighton but owns property in Aurora, sued the city, claiming that its ordinance was overly broad and violated "fundamental rights" of all dog owners.
The city had argued that the lawsuit should be tossed because Villani had no standing because she lived in Brighton, not Aurora.
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