TOWN OF FARMINGTON, Wis. — A court decision in an ongoing lawsuit came down in Shalom Wildlife Zoo's favor in the Town of Farmington.
This week, a Washington County judge denied the group We Love Farmington's motion to dismiss Shalom's counter-suit, meaning the zoo can now argue this has all been a ploy to shut them down.
The legal saga started with a group of neighbors who call themselves "We Love Farmington," who filed a lawsuit in January of 2025 stating Shalom Wildlife Zoo was not abiding by their town zoning laws.
"I was really bummed when it all went down," Jamie Hays said. "Just because, I'm like, well why would somebody want to get rid of Shalom? It seemed selfish."
Then in September, Shalom filed a countersuit claiming these neighbors hurt the zoo's business. Something the group's lawyers disputed when I covered the story last year in a statement, saying they just didn't want the zoo to expand.
In December the Town of Farmington changed its zoning ordinances to allow Shalom to expand, a move that could also impact the Washington County court ruling.
I called and emailed the "We Love Farmington" group members, their attorneys, and never received a response.
"I just feel like if that went away, it would be a really sad thing for our community," Hays said. "I hear all of the animals in the morning, and it is the coolest experience."
She and Tracey Baertschi live on the same road as the zoo.
"We do hear the animals at night, but it doesn't bother us at all," Baertschi said. "I hope the judge will just drop the case, let them move on, and let them do their improvements and stuff. It sounds like it's going to be very nice."
The zoo is in another legal battle with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. TMJ4 News is looking into that case.
Oral arguments are scheduled for 10 a.m. April 22 in Washington County court.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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