Former Pittsburgh animal control officer revives lawsuit over cruelty charges

A former Pittsburgh animal control officer is fighting back against animal cruelty claims he said cost him his job and his reputation.

James Genco III, 48, of Pittsburgh, filed an amended lawsuit this week in federal court against three people whose comments led to animal cruelty charges being filed against him. The charges were later dismissed by two judges.

Genco alleges malicious prosecution, false arrest and more in the lawsuit, which calls for a jury trial. It also seeks unspecified damages against Pittsburgh police Officer Christine Luffey, who filed the charges, and Meagan Montmeny and Camille Burke of Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh.

“There are many, many cases where these officers are overzealous,” said attorney Joel Sansone, who represents Genco in the lawsuit. “When you put the lives of animals above the lives of human beings, you’ve got to call that into question.

“I have never had a client who has struggled more than this client over this,” he added. “It never slows down. He never stops demanding his reputation is cleared.”

The city’s Department of Public Safety doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation, spokesperson Cara Cruz said Wednesday. The Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, which operates in Homewood, also declined comment.

The incident started on March 17, 2021, in the Strip District, when Genco and animal control officer John Lapp responded to a report of dogs left unattended in a car, the lawsuit said.

The animal control officers broke a car window and removed the dogs, one of them violent, the lawsuit said. The two men then took the animals to Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh.

The violent dog — a tan pit bull-type dog — suffered broken teeth, ruptured blood vessels in both eyes, lacerations, abrasions and muscle damage, police said. Luffey and others have said this is evidence of Genco mishandling the dog; Genco maintains the animal was out of control and he was following protocol.

Pittsburgh police charged Genco in June 2021 and again this March with two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and two summary charges of cruelty to animals, court records show. District judges Thomas Miller and James A. Motznik both separately dismissed those charges.

Genco initially filed a lawsuit against Luffey in federal court in 2021, after his charges were dismissed. That lawsuit alleged there was no probable cause for any charges.

The lawsuit also said Luffey failed to include exculpatory evidence, such as statements from other officers on the scene that day.

Sansone said one police officer, fearing for his safety, drew a weapon to fire at the violent dog. Genco stopped the officer from shooting the dog, Sansone said.

Genco was suspended from his job with the city in 2021, then fired a week later, according to his lawsuit. He currently works as a state employee, said Sansone, who declined to elaborate.

Genco later put the lawsuit on hold when the second set of charges were made in 2023, Sansone said.

The amended complaint, filed Monday, includes allegations that the new charges violated Genco’s constitutional rights. It also includes new information about the second set of charges, which Sansone called “a slap in the face.”