Judge dismisses lawsuit against The Meadows
A Washington County judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by an Avella racehorse owner against the owners of The Meadows Racetrack & Casino over the 2013 death of one of his mares.
In an order dismissing the case, President Judge Katherine B. Emery cited an agreement Michael Puff’s trainer signed concerning Little Bit Tricky’s racing at the track in which the owner and trainer assumed the risks associated with racing there.
Emery’s order said provisions of the agreement “explicitly bar any claim by (Puff) against Defendants related to Little Bit Tricky’s racing at The Meadows, while the indemnification provision moots any recovery by (Puff).”
Puff accused Las Vegas-based CCR Pennsylvania Racing Inc. and Washington Trotting Association of negligence and breach of implied contract by failing to maintain safe racing conditions, allegedly causing the mare to fracture a leg at The Meadows Feb. 4, 2013. The horse was euthanized following the injury.