A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled in favor of the state, after a federal judge in Columbus upheld the state law in 2012 when the initial lawsuit was filed.
"The burden of regulation may, unfortunately, fall heavier on some than on others, but that, without more, is not enough to render this Act unconstitutional," Circuit Judge Julia Smith Gibbons said in the opinion.
Sean Trimbach — owner of Best Exotics LLC in Medway and one of seven owners on the lawsuit — said the new state law cuts his income in half because he'll now have to sell exotic animals outside the state. He owns 16 acres and about 350 animals, including 200 affected by the law.
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