SAN DIEGO — A San Diego Superior Court Judge is allowing a lawsuit aimed at stopping the San Diego Padres from holding rodeos at Petco Park to move forward.
Today, San Diego Superior Court Judge Joel Wohlfeil dismissed a request from the San Diego Padres to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Animal Protection and Rescue League that seeks to end rodeos at Petco due to alleged animal cruelty violations.
While the lawsuit will continue so too will the rodeos until a trial is held.
That trial is now set for November 7, 2025 and is expected to last approximately three days.
That means the rodeo scheduled for January 2025 will be held.
The first-ever rodeo was held in January of this year despite strong opposition from animal rights groups and an attempt to have a judge stop the event from happening.
The Animal Protection League and Showing Animals Respect and Kindness sued the Padres and C5 Rodeo, the company that put on the event. They said the event violates municipal code, which prohibits non-service animals inside and around Petco Park.
During a hearing, Padres Attorney Elaine Harwell told the judge the plaintiffs were interpreting the municipal code incorrectly. "The statute is actually meant to apply to the conduct and regulate the conduct of the patrons attending the events at Petco Park, not to govern what type of events or what type of entertainment is occurring at the ballpark," said Harwell.
During the first night, shocking video showed a 6-year-old racehorse named Waco Kid slam into a barricade before collapsing. Following the collision the horse was removed from the arena in a livestock ambulance and placed under the care of the San Diego Rodeo veterinarian team. Exams show no obvious signs of fracture or instability. The horse was alive and did not sustain major injuries, according to C5 Rodeo, the company running the event.
Bryan Pease, the lead attorney for the animal rights group, said that while he is disappointed the January 2025 rodeo will be held, he looks forward to his day in court in order to stop any future events from happening.