Reason NY could owe Peanut the Squirrel owners $10,000,000 after pet was seized and euthanized by state

Fred was also killed after the raid (Instagram/@peanut_the_squirrel12)

The court documents allege the killing of the pets was not ‘due to a fear of rabies’ but a ‘senseless act of violence’ and ‘obscene demonstration of government abuse’, and lists the state, the DEC and DOH as defendants.

Longo further claims that the killing was a premeditated ‘target’ and ‘assassination’ since squirrels ‘do not transmit rabies’.

He claimed that nine officers swarmed his home at the time of the raid and spent five hours ‘ransacking it’ while Peanut and Fred were not simply euthanized but ‘executed’.

It comes as Longo and Bittner filed a separate lawsuit on June 27 in Chemung County Supreme Court, against the county, the City of Elmira and 36 people from every level of local and state government which sought unspecified damages through a jury trial.

“Filing these lawsuits will allow us to create a movement,” Longo told USA TODAY. “This was a heinous act by an overpowering government who overreached.”

“As an animal lover, you love your animal, and you do whatever it takes to protect them,” he continued.

“They destroyed my family. I cry almost every day knowing that that portion of my life and that chapter is closed.”

The squirrel had international social media fame (Instagram/@peanut_the_squirrel12)

Nora Constance Marino, the attorney representing Longo and Bittner, added: “We hope to obtain justice, not just for my clients and the violation of their rights, but for Peanut and Fred, and all animals. We hope that Peanut’s and Fred’s deaths will not have been in vain.”

The couple further claim they have experienced emotional trauma from the deaths of Peanut and Fred plus financial losses.

The worldwide star rodent had appeared in monetized social media posts, OnlyFans content and in cameos among others, according to the lawsuits.