Overview
- Jurors in Santa Rosa delivered a verdict after a seven-week trial over Zoe Rosenberg’s 2023 removal of four chickens from Petaluma Poultry; the decision was not immediately disclosed.
- Rosenberg, 23, faced one felony conspiracy count and three misdemeanors tied to trespass and vehicle tampering, carrying potential prison exposure of more than five years.
- The defense said she acted to rescue abused animals after investigating the facility and consulting a veterinarian concerned by images suggesting birds were being boiled alive.
- Prosecutors argued she broke the law regardless of motive, alleging multiple unauthorized entries, GPS trackers placed on delivery trucks, and coordination with a DxE demonstration.
- Judge Kenneth Gnoss declined to instruct jurors on a necessity defense for harms to nonhuman animals, while Perdue and Petaluma Poultry disputed abuse claims and described DxE as extremist.