Bobby Berosini

Bobby Berosini, the professional name for Bohumil Berousek, [http://www1.law.umkc.edu/Faculty/levit/DefamationPrivacy/Winter2005/PETAvBobby.pdf PETA v. Bobby Berosini] from the Supreme Court of Nevada] is a Czech-born American entertainer best known for his long-running show involving live orangutans.

Berosini emigrated from Czechoslovakia in 1964, and eventually made his way to Las Vegas. He was a fixture at the Stardust Resort & Casino starting in the mid-1970s, and his act was featured on "Going Ape!", a 1981 film starring Tony Danza. Earlier, in 1978, one of his orangutans, Clyde, appeared in "Every Which Way But Loose" with Clint Eastwood.

However, his career was derailed in 1989 after a Stardust dancer secretly videotaped Berosini grabbing, slapping, punching and shaking his orangutans before going on stage with them. The dancer, Ottavio Gesmundo, sent the tapes to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and the resulting outcry forced the Stardust to cancel Berosini's act. Although he later moved his act to Branson, Missouri; he has only made sporadic appearances in Las Vegas since then. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service later canceled Berosini's wildlife permit.

Berosini sued Gesmundo, PETA and another animal rights group, the Performing Animal Welfare Society, for defamation and invasion of privacy. In 1990, a jury found in favor of Berosini and awarded him $4.2 million in damages. However, the Nevada Supreme Court threw out the judgment in 1994, saying that the tape was an accurate portrayal of Berosini's behavior and fell within the realm of "protected opinion." It also ruled that Berosini had no expectation of privacy in the crowded backstage area. [ [http://www.rcfp.org/news/1994/0222f.html High court throws out $4.2 million judgment animal trainer won in libel, privacy suit] ]

This judgment was affirmed on a rehearing of the case a year later, and in 1996, a Nevada district court judge ordered Berosini to pay a total of $417,000 in attorneys' fees to PETA and PaWS. [Geer, Carri. [http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1998/Apr-30-Thu-1998/news/7409815.html Animal rights group's requests on Berosini assets rejected] . Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1998-04-30.]

PETA subsequently alleged that Berosini had moved more than $2 million out of the country to avoid paying court costs. Berosini and his wife, Jean, claimed that the money was for a land investment in Central and South America. In February 2000, a federal magistrate ordered Berosini to return the money, finding that Berosini was deliberately hiding his assets. [Geer, Carri. [http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2000/Feb-15-Tue-2000/news/12963917.html Berosini ordered to return $2 million to United States] . Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2000-02-15.] Berosini and PETA agreed to a settlement in which Berosini paid $340,000 in court costs and interest. However, two years later, Berosini was ordered to pay three law firms $250,000 for the time they spent trying to find the $2 million. [http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2002/Mar-11-Mon-2002/news/18269503.html Former showman and his wife ordered to pay three law firms] . Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2002-03-11.] Berosini contested this judgment four times on appeal and lost each time, and PETA claims that it is considering further legal action against Berosini for filing a frivolous appeal. [ [http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=9491 Court rules that orangutan beater must pay PETA attorneys] --PETA press release]

Berosini told Harper's Magazine in 1993 that he and his wife received numerous death threats against themselves and their orangutans in the middle of the night. He also said he had to shop at a different supermarket every day for several months due to threats that the orangutans' food would be poisoned.

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