Park County Judge Dismisses One Lawsuit Against WY Game and Fish
Written by Andrew-Rossi on June 8, 2022
Two hunters who filed multiple multi-million dollar lawsuits against Wyoming Game and Fish for an October 2019 detainment in Park County have one of their cases dismissed by a Park County judge.
A Park County judge dismissed a claim of malicious prosecution two hunters brought against the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
According to the Cowboy State Daily, Park County Judge Bill Simpson dismissed a malicious prosecution claim field by two hunters: Blendi Cumani of North Dakota and Roland Shehu of Pennsylvania filed the claims and are asking for damages of $2 million each.
Cumani and Shehu allege that while hunting in Park County in October 2019, they encountered Wyoming Game and Fish Department Warden Chris Queen. The warden was investigating three elk found killed and abandoned in the same area.
According to the lawsuit filed in state district court in Park County, the warden detained Cumani and Shehu, ordering them to remain in the county during his investigation and preventing them from returning to their homes.
The men argued in the lawsuit that the warden’s investigation failed to show they shot the elk, and evidence proved they did not, but Queen pursued criminal charges against the two.
After a September 2020 jury trial, Cumani and Shehu were found not guilty of killing the elk.
The men argued that Queen did not have probable cause to detain or arrest them and that this violated their constitutional rights. The $2 million damage claims are for past and future emotional pain and suffering and history and future loss of enjoyment of life.
Judge Simpson didn’t rule on the validity of the men’s claims – the case was dismissed because the one-year statute of limitations passed.
However, Judge Simpson dismissed only the malicious prosecution claim. As a result, wrongful arrest and detention claims filed by the same men for the same case are allowed to move forward.
Wyoming state law forbids the “failure of any person to properly dress and care for any big game animal killed by that person, and if the carcass is reasonably accessible, within 48 hours to take or transport the carcass to the camp of that person, and there properly care for the carcass.”
The person who shot the elk has not been publicly identified. Furthermore, it’s unknown if the guilty party was charged.
