Lawyer of Killed Pug's Family: Lawsuit Against ONG Not About Money

By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

MUSTANG, Oklahoma -- The family of a pug that was killed now has a lawsuit pending against Oklahoma Natural Gas because one of their workers is to blame in the dog's death. That family is suing the company asking for a minimum of $10,000, but their attorney says the lawsuit has little to do about the money.

The family says the lawsuit has a lot to do with sending a message to ONG that if this is how their employees are going to behave, than something needs to change.

"They wanted the public to be aware of what is going on, that this can happen," Holderbee family attorney David Dunlap said.

Dunlap is talking about what happened to his clients' dog, Mimi, a 16 year old nearly blind pug.

According to authorities 22-year-old Kyle McCormack, an ONG worker admitted to hitting and killing the dog when he went into the Holderbee family's backyard to shut off their gas. He's claimed it was self-defense.

"One thing is clear," said Dunlap. "This employee was under no threat, nor was there a reason to believe he was threatened by this one-eyed, toothless, 16 pound Chinese pug."

The fact that they believe the employee was not threatened is why Dunlap, along his law partner Richard Morrissette, are representing the Holderbee's in a lawsuit to sue ONG.

"This is an awareness case," said Morrissette. "We have heard from many people over the last couple of weeks how they have been violated, maybe not to this degree, but in other regards that in similar cases where employees have been nonchalant concerning people's privacy rights."

At the same time the Holderbee's are suing ONG, McCormack is facing his own legal troubles having been charged with one felony count of animal cruelty. Representing McCormack is prominent criminal defense attorney Mack Martin and ONG is footing the legal bills.

"This says nothing about our opinion of what happened," said ONG spokesperson Don Sherry. "This says nothing about advocating violence or use of force against dogs. It's simply an expression of our obligation to our employees."

It's an obligation the Holderbees' attorney's say should be extended to their customers, too.

"The people that run the companies, when their pocket books are hit they change the way they do business, they are not here to consider human emotion," Dunlap said.

Attempts to reach McCormack's attorney for comment have been unsuccessful.

The Holderbee's attorneys add they will be watching closely how the criminal case against McCormack plays out. They say what happens in the case could have a direct impact on whether they can win a civil suit against ONG.

More:

• ONG Worker Charged with Animal Cruelty in Pug Death
• Family of Killed Pug Speaks Out
• ONG Worker Kills Family Pet, Animal Lovers Call for Firing
• Family Suing After Pug Allegedly Beaten to Death By ONG Worker