Judge dismisses alpaca paternity lawsuit

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. --A judge dismissed a lawsuit filed over the paternity of a baby alpaca, but the ruling might not mark the end of the barnyard soap opera. Cathy Crosson sued in Monroe Circuit Court to get the owners of an Illinois breeding farm to disclose which of its male alpacas sired the year-old offspring of her prized female, Peruvian Lily of the Incas.

She accused Likada Farms, of Wayne, Ill., of improperly breeding Peruvian Lily and then refusing to identify the offspring's father. Without the male's name, Crosson said she cannot register or sell the young alpaca.

But Monroe Circuit Judge E. Michael Hoff said this week that Crosson's case was filed in the wrong venue. He said the out-of-state farm does not do enough Indiana business for the suit to be valid in Monroe County.

Attorney Bob Mann, who represented Likada Farms, was happy with the judge's decision to dismiss the case.

"We got what we asked for," Mann said.

However, because the case was dismissed without prejudice, another lawsuit can be filed. Crosson said Thursday that she plans to continue her court battle to discover the father of the baby alpaca.

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Information from: The Herald-Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com