SANTA ROSA, CA – Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), an animal rights group known for its recent rescue of four chickens slated for slaughter, has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by poultry giant Perdue Foods. The company is seeking to halt public sidewalk protests outside the home of its Director of Operations for the Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse, according to DxE.
As detailed in a recent DxE press release, Perdue Foods filed a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation—or SLAPP—against the group in response to protests held outside the Santa Rosa residence of Perdue executive Jason Arnold.
In reply, DxE has filed an anti-SLAPP motion, arguing that “no law restricts residential picketing in Santa Rosa,” where the protests occurred.
In its original filing, Perdue requested an injunction to stop the demonstrations, specifically asking the court to prevent DxE from “even congregating on public sidewalks near Mr. Arnold’s residence,” from sharing images of Mr. Arnold, and to compel the organization to post the court order “on the homepage of every website owned by DxE or its affiliated entities,” according to the press release.
Perdue also alleged that “DxE activists [have] repeatedly emailed Mr. Arnold and other company executives requesting a meeting” about what the group describes as alarming conditions in the Petaluma facility.
DxE maintains that its actions were prompted by inhumane practices and unsafe conditions at Perdue’s slaughterhouses, including “abnormally high rates of pathogens” and ongoing animal cruelty, which they claim have gone unaddressed.
The group has recently gained broader attention after DxE activist Zoe Rosenberg went viral on social media for rescuing four chickens from a Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse. According to DxE, the birds were suffering in poor conditions. Rosenberg’s attorney, from the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, told reporters, “Perdue’s entire business is based on the suffering and death of millions of birds, and its executives profit handsomely from it. Now, the company has hired a small army of costly lawyers seeking special protection from peaceful protests.”
DxE argues that overwhelming activists with legal paperwork is a familiar tactic used to deter dissent. “Free speech experts say that Perdue’s lawsuit is… intended to silence activists, burden them with legal fees, and intimidate them from protesting,” the organization states. Attorney Kyla Dayton of Jeff Lewis Law, who represents DxE, said the lawsuit violates the spirit of anti-SLAPP laws, which are “designed to prevent large, well-heeled corporations from suppressing time-honored rights of free speech and protest.”
DxE emphasized that the protests were not spontaneous or isolated. The group reports that its activists have demonstrated “at the Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse dozens of times since 2018.” They also claim to have contacted law enforcement regarding alleged animal cruelty, but say those efforts have gone unanswered.
According to DxE, its investigators have documented widespread abuse at Petaluma Poultry’s factory farms and slaughterhouse, including evidence that birds were boiled alive after entering the scalder while still conscious. The group argues these actions represent “clear violations of California Penal Code Section 597,” which prohibits subjecting animals to “needless suffering” or inflicting “unnecessary cruelty.”
A hearing in the case is scheduled to take place at Sonoma County Superior Court on August 20, 2025.
