Carole Baskin Wins Control of ‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic’s Oklahoma Zoo
By Leia IdlibyJun 2nd, 2020, 11:38 am
Carole Baskin, whose feud with Joe Exotic was chronicled in Netflix’s Tiger King, was given control of her rival’s Oklahoma zoo on Monday by U.S. District Judge Scott Palk.
The judge ruled in favor of Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue Corporation in a lawsuit against the Greater Wynnewood Development Group, LLC, which was once owned by Exotic.
Baskin had previously sued Exotic for copyright infringement, winning the $1 million civil judgment against him. Palk’s judgment additionally found that the zoo’s ownership was fraudulently given to Exotic’s mother and Jeff Lowe to avoid payment. The judge is now granting Baskin control of the zoo to help meet the $1 million payment from the previous lawsuit.
Lowe had just re-opened the zoo last month, renaming it Tiger King Park, but now only has 120 days to get himself and all of the animals off the property, according to TMZ.
“We have long anticipated that the judge would eventually undo the 2016 land transfer,” Lowe and his wife told TMZ. “We are thankful that he dragged out his decision this long and allowed us time to complete the new Tiger King Park in Thackerville Oklahoma, behind the World’s largest casino.”
Exotic is still serving a 22-year sentence for allegedly paying a hitman $3,000 to kill Baskin, along with other crimes that include killing and abusing animals.
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