An 11-year-old Californian girl was awarded $300,000 after the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office was sued for unlawfully confiscating and slaughtering her pet goat, Cedar, without a proper warrant. The lawsuit, filed by Jessica Long in 2023, highlighted a controversial series of actions taken by the authorities in 2022 to enforce rules related to the Shasta District Fair livestock auction. Long’s daughter had raised Cedar for the event but, after becoming attached, tried to withdraw the animal from auction.
The incident escalated when Cedar was seized and eventually killed, even though the family had attempted to negotiate a solution with fair organizers. As part of the settlement, the funds awarded will be placed in trust for the young girl, now 11, whose emotional trauma from the loss of her pet was central to the case.
The young girl received Cedar in April 2022 as part of a 4-H program where she cared for the animal daily, bonding with it over several months. Initially, Cedar was intended to be sold at auction as part of the program’s process, with proceeds going to the fair and the youth organization. However, after spending considerable time with the goat, she was unable to part with him, particularly upon learning that he would be sold for meat.
“After the auction, [the daughter] would not leave Cedar’s side.” the lawsuit read, according to Courthouse News. “[She] loved Cedar and the thought of him going to slaughter was something she could not bear. While sobbing in his pen beside him, [she] communicated to her mother she didn’t want Cedar to go to slaughter.”
When Long attempted to withdraw Cedar from the auction, she faced resistance from the Shasta District Fair, which claimed the rules mandated that once animals were registered for auction, they could not be removed. Despite the family offering to cover the fair’s fee to cancel the sale and even working with California State Sen. Brian Dahle, who had been the intended buyer, the fair’s management refused to compromise.
After much plea, Dahle later agreed to nullify the purchase and Long offered to pay the fair it’ $63 commission. However, the fair still refused to release Cedar, this prompted the mother to snatch the goat away and secrete him away to a farm in Sonoma County. In response, the Shasta District Fair classified the goat as “stolen” and contacted local law enforcement. The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office then obtained a warrant—allegedly for the wrong farm—and seized Cedar without notifying the family. Cedar’s subsequent fate was murky, but he was reportedly slaughtered for a community event, according to the lawsuit filed by Long in August 2022.
The lawsuit argued that the seizure was illegal as Cedar’s ownership could not be contractually enforced against a minor. Jessica Long’s attorney, Vanessa Shakib, described the case as an extreme example of police overreach, highlighting the emotional toll on the young girl and her family.
Following the lawsuit, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office agreed to settle for $300,000, which will be placed in a trust for the young girl. According to the family’s attorney, the settlement acknowledges the girl’s emotional distress, though it cannot undo Cedar’s loss.
