AQHA Must Allow Clones into Registry

In July, a US federal jury ruled that the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) has violated antitrust laws by refusing to allow cloned horses and their offspring into the AQHA registry.

This ban (AQHA Rule REG106.1) has been in place since 2004, and certain AQHA members, including the plaintiffs in this case, Abraham & Veneklasen Joint Venture et al., disagree with the rule. Citing antitrust laws, which are in place to regulate the conduct of corporations and promote fair competition in business, the plaintiffs sued and won, but were not awarded any damages.

At a subsequent hearing, on August 12th, US District Judge Mary Lou Robinson issued a precedent setting injunction against the AQHA that will force it to begin accepting such horses into its registry. The injunction was scheduled to take effect within 30 days of the ruling.

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Following the hearing, the plaintiffs’ lawyers said that some members of the 280,000-strong organization had been hoping for a rule change since 2007, but acknowledged that less than half a dozen had made a formal request.

According to the AQHA though, the vast majority of its members oppose the decision. “When individuals with shared interests, goals and values come together to form a voluntary association to serve a common purpose, the members have a right to determine the rules for their association. The wisdom of our membership – which is largely not in favour of the registration of clones and their offspring – has not been upheld by this verdict,” said AQHA executive vice president Don Treadway, Jr., following the initial ruling.

In addition, at the August 12th hearing, the plaintiffs requested that the AQHA reimburse them $900,000 in attorney fees. At the time, Judge Robinson did not issue a ruling on the matter, but instructed them to submit any billing information immediately and ordered the AQHA to enter any briefs subject to the plaintiffs’ request by August 14th.
“AQHA will continue to take any and all necessary legal action in seeking to have the verdict of the jury and any judgment entered by the Court in favor of plaintiffs reversed,” said Treadway, in a statement on the organization’s website. “AQHA will continue to fight for its members’ rights.”