Legal
Every official action against Ridglan, in order
Seven decisions by Wisconsin courts, regulators, and a special prosecutor over thirteen months — January 2025 through January 2026. These are the public-record events that produced the wind-down commitment underlying the April 19, 2026 rescue.
January 9, 2025 · Dane County Circuit Court — Judge Rhonda L. Lanford
Order granting petition for special prosecution
- 23-page decision finding probable cause that Ridglan committed felony violations of Wis. Stat. § 951 — cherry-eye mutilation, devocalization, inadequate space, sanitation, ventilation, and improper shelter.
- Petitioners: Wayne Hsiung, Dane4Dogs, Alliance for Animals.
- Expert testimony from Dr. Sherstin Rosenberg (veterinarian), Dr. Patricia McConnell (animal behaviorist), and Prof. Marc Bekoff (cognitive ethologist).
- Found the Dane County DA had received 983 complaint emails over six years and taken no action — meeting the statutory threshold for appointing a special prosecutor under Wis. Stat. § 978.045.
Source: Order Granting Petition for Special Prosecution of Ridglan Farms (1/9/2025)
March 11, 2025 · Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board
Stipulation with Richard Van Domelen, DVM (license #404991)
- First-stage VEB action against Ridglan's lead veterinarian.
- Van Domelen accepted conditions in lieu of immediate suspension: no delegated cherry-eye, spay/neuter, or dental procedures; anesthesia monitoring required for all surgeries; staff training plan; on-site supervision.
- Included the 9-page Erin Carter affidavit naming 10 Ridglan staff — Matthew Reich, Scott Gilbertson (former); Ethel "Em" Jenson, Kurt Tollakson, Taylor Brown, Christopher Nachkash, Heather Sutcliffe, Shyanne Jentz, Allan Olson, Thomas Beam (current). Sutcliffe, Staley, and Olson were never licensed to practice veterinary medicine in Wisconsin.
- Affidavit transcribes the cherry-eye technique verbatim from witness Taylor Brown.
- Van Domelen subsequently texted VEB Board member Lyn Schuh (2/18/2025) describing the inspection as a DEA-assisted "raid" by "30 people in 15 vehicles" — flagged as attempted ex-parte communication.
Source: Case 24 VET 158 — Signed Stipulation, 3/11/2025
August 11, 2025 · Wisconsin DATCP / Dane County
Civil Forfeiture Stipulated Complaint and Judgment — Case 149309
- 311 counts total: 308 cherry-eye violations under WI ATCP 16.20(2)(a), 1 unattended-cyst violation under § 16.20(2)(b) from the June 6, 2024 inspection (Beagle ZKA-8 / FZA-8), and 2 untreated-wound violations from the September 16, 2024 follow-up (Beagles FVC-O and FJA-9).
- Each cherry-eye count corresponds to a specific named dog operated on between February 7, 2022 and February 22, 2025.
- Total forfeiture: $55,148.50. Paid.
- Citing Veterinary Ophthalmology, 2nd Ed. (1991): full nictitans removal has been considered "flagrant malpractice" for over 30 years.
- Ridglan operates under DATCP dog-seller license #524375-DS.
Source: (149309) Ridglan Farms Civil Forfeiture docket 8-11-2025
September 8, 2025 · Wisconsin DATCP — follow-up inspection
Re-inspection found 150+ surgical records non-compliant with the March stipulation
- DATCP returned to confirm Van Domelen's compliance with the 3/11/2025 stipulation.
- Found over 150 surgical records that violated the stipulation's terms — undelegated procedures by unlicensed staff continuing despite the agreement.
- Findings forwarded to the VEB and triggered the September summary-suspension order.
Source: Petition for Summary Suspension (9/30/2025); case file 24 VET 158
September 30, 2025 · Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board
Summary Suspension Order 159333A — Van Domelen
- VEB voted unanimously to summarily suspend Van Domelen's veterinary license (#404991) after the September 8 follow-up.
- Suspension based on the documented violations of the March stipulation — over 150 surgical records non-compliant with conditions Van Domelen had agreed to six months earlier.
- Van Domelen could no longer practice or supervise other vets in Wisconsin.
Source: Order 159333A — Summary Suspension; case file 24 VET 158
October 28, 2025 · Special Prosecutor — La Crosse County DA Tim Gruenke
Negotiated resolution — Ridglan agrees to shut down dog sale and breeding-for-sale operations
- Gruenke (appointed special prosecutor under Judge Lanford's January 9 order) announced a settlement in lieu of criminal charges.
- Ridglan agreed to: shut down its dog sale operation, shut down its breeding-for-sale operation, and pay the civil-forfeiture amount.
- Only cherry-eye procedures were charged (and resolved civilly). Charges for devocalization, sanitation/ventilation, shelter, and enclosure-injury claims were declined — devocalization specifically because eyewitness evidence dated to ≤2010 and fell outside the 6-year felony statute of limitations.
- This is the legal commitment that underlies the post-April-19, 2026 placement of ~1,500 dogs.
Source: 2025.10.28 Special Prosecutor Report — Ridglan Farms (Tim Gruenke)
January 27, 2026 · Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board
Voluntary surrender — Georgia Heller, CVT (#406269)
- Second Ridglan staff member formally disciplined by the VEB.
- Heller voluntarily surrendered her veterinary-technology certification facing 6 counts of unprofessional conduct.
- Counts: performing cherry-eye surgeries; lying to investigators about being a CVT; falsely certifying continuing-education hours.
- Paid $695.96 in costs.
Source: Case 24-tech-027 — Signed Stipulation and Final Decision and Order, 1/27/2026
Where the shipments fit
The civil-forfeiture complaint named 308 cherry-eye violations dated February 7, 2022 through February 22, 2025. The CVI archive (/shipments) shows which research buyers continued receiving Ridglan beagles throughout that same period — and after.
Ridglan's commitment under the October 2025 settlement is to stop selling dogs and stop breeding for sale. It does not name a deadline by which existing buyer relationships must end. The /buyers page tracks shipments through the most recent DATCP data we have.
Notes on framing
The Van Domelen action was two stages, not one. The site previously collapsed it to “suspended September 2025.” The actual sequence: March 11 stipulation (license preserved with conditions) → September 8 follow-up found over 150 surgical records violating those conditions → September 30 summary suspension.
The Special Prosecutor settlement did not result in criminal charges. Several substantive allegations the petitioners raised — devocalization in particular — were declined for statute-of-limitations reasons rather than evidentiary weakness. Witness testimony on devocalization (Reich, Gilbertson) predates the six-year felony window.