Legal Question in Criminal Law in Virginia

Is animal injury or death viewed as the equivalent of a human injury or death in federal cases/courts that would impose a long sentence or life sentence? For example, if a federal crime includes a condition that involves punishment for injury or death but doesn't specifically define the victim, does that automatically only imply to injury/death of a person ?


Asked on 8/04/13, 7:29 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

No, animal injury or death is most certainly not viewed "as the equivalent of a human injury or death in federal cases", and, yes, the condition posed in the example would necessarily apply only to human persons and not to animals.

In the law, animals are generally defined as personal property and their value

for legal purposes fixed accordingly.

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Answered on 8/04/13, 8:32 pm


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