A couple of years back, the Massachusetts Supreme Court heard the case of Jane Doe v. State of Massachusetts, in which a woman who had been ticketed for HOV lane violation successfully maintained that the company of her three dogs made her car a high occupancy vehicle and that any claims to the contrary were based on speciesist assumptions.
Then, just last year, a Beaufort, South Carolina, man reportedly defended himself in the same way when ticketed for the same offense, showing the officer that two beetles and a fly occupied the car in addition to himself. While the officer in question initially stated that the man’s claims were “absolutely ridiculous,” the South Carolina Supreme Court has taken the man, John Doe, more seriously, and will be hearing his case next month. It is believed that Doe’s lawyers will draw on Piggly Wiggly Southern v John Doe, State of Texas v. State of New Hampshire, and the aforementioned Jane Doe v. State of Massachusetts in order to make their defense.
“Wabash Tunnel (2060141943),” by KitAy from Pittsburgh, USA. CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
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