PETA Is Sued by Author Over Slavery Comparison

A New York author of an influential book on animal rights is suing the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, saying the group has brought disrepute upon her book.

At issue in the unusual lawsuit is a campaign by PETA to draw comparisons between the suffering of animals and the suffering of slaves. The campaign drew criticism from civil rights groups.

The suit claims that the controversy PETA stirred up will have an ill effect on the reputation of a 1988 book written by the animal rights activist, Marjorie Spiegel, whose work is titled "The Dreaded Comparison: Human and Animal Slavery."

First-time readers of the book will now "be forced to view it through the distorted prism that PETA has created, rather than on its own merits," the civil complaint, which is filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, says.

In an unusual claim, the suit asserts that one effect of PETA's exhibit has been to "degrade and impair public discourse."

The suit is brought in the name of an organization that Ms. Spiegel co-founded and directs, the Institute for the Development of Earth Awareness. The institute published Ms. Spiegel's book.

The lawsuit is perhaps the most surprising, but certainly not the first, negative reaction to PETA's roving exhibit, titled "Are Animals the New Slaves?"

The exhibit, which toured several cities in 2005, juxtaposed images of oppression against black Americans with images of dead, dying, or captive animals. There was, for instance, a picture of a lynching not far from a picture of a cow carcass in a slaughterhouse, according a news report on the exhibit at the time.

The exhibit drew criticism from civil rights groups such as a chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Southern Poverty Law Center, according to news reports.

The traveling exhibit, as well as brochures by PETA, used material that appears to be from Ms. Spiegel's book without permission, the civil complaint claims.

The complaint draws attention to the negative reviews that the exhibit received and positive book reviews Ms. Spiegel's work garnered.

"The Work has also been widely recognized for its pioneering selection of topics, identifying specific parallels between the historical institution of slavery and present-day treatment of non-human animals, including their branding and beating, their sale at auctions, and their use in scientific experiments," the suit claims.

The civil complaint includes favorable blurbs about the book from university lecturers, the civil rights attorney William Kunstler, and publications such as the Vegetarian Times and the Animals' Agenda.

The complaint seeks damages for copyright infringement and attorney fees.

Ms. Spiegel declined to comment yesterday when reached by telephone. Calls to her lawyer, Robert Clarida of Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman P.C., and a spokeswoman for PETA went unreturned.

The first hearing in the suit is scheduled in September before Judge P. Kevin Castel.