The 'Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness' star has lost his Oklahoma zoo to his arch-nemesis following a $1 million trademark judgment amid their feud.
- June 3, 2020
AceShowbiz - "Tiger King" star Joe Exotic has lost his Oklahoma zoo to his arch-nemesis Carole Baskin following a $1 million trademark judgment.
The hit Netflix show followed Exotic's rivalry and legal disputes with fellow big cat enthusiast Baskin, which ended up with him being sentenced to 22 years in prison for plotting to have her killed.
According to Courthouse News, on Monday, June 1, 2020, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk in Oklahoma City ruled that Exotic, real name Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, had fraudulently transferred the zoo properties to his mother Shirley M. Schreibvogel in 2011 in order to keep them out of the hands of creditors if he lost any legal battles.
In 2013, Exotic was ordered to pay Baskin's organisation Big Cat Rescue nearly $1 million to resolve a trademark infringement lawsuit that was featured in the documentary. It related to the tiger keeper's use of logos similar to Big Cat Rescue's, which he began using after feuding with his rival after she campaigned against his treatment of his animals.
Baskin sued Schreibvogel in 2016, claiming the property was fraudulently transferred to her, and she later admitted under oath that the zoo's land was handed over to her in a bid to thwart creditors.
Big Cat Rescue bosses were also awarded control of several cars and cabins on the property, and those currently operating the zoo have been ordered to leave within 120 days and remove all remaining animals from the property.
Exotic is currently behind bars serving a 22 year sentence after being convicted in 2019 of trying to hire a hitman to kill Baskin as well as additional charges of falsifying animal records and violating America's Endangered Species Act.
Following "Tiger King" popularity after it aired on Netflix earlier this year, Nicolas Cage was cast as Exotic in a dramatic adaptation of the story.
