Court: Borells have no claim to horses found on leased farm
A Kentucky circuit court ruled Thursday that Charles and Maria Borell have no claim to horses found earlier this year on a farm leased by Charles Borell, according to the state’s agriculture department.
The ruling by Mercer County Circuit Court Judge Darren Peckler is somewhat redundant, because Charles Borell relinquished all ownership claims to the horses when accepting a plea deal last month on charges of animal cruelty related to the abandonment of the horses. The ruling also noted that Maria Borell, his daughter, has not asserted any claims to the horses.
The ruling will allow the state to “sell, donate, or otherwise transfer ownership of the horses,” the agriculture department said.
The ruling was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and Mercer County Fiscal Court. The suit was filed several weeks prior to Charles Borell accepting the plea deal, which resulted in a sentence of two years’ probation and the relinquishment of a $4,300 bond. That bond is being distributed to state and local agencies that cared for the horses after they were declared abandoned by the state.
Borell resides in Syracuse, N.Y. His attorney said that he intended to return to New York after accepting the plea deal.
The agriculture department said that six of the horses are being returned to their previous owners, while 36 horses are in the process of being relocated to permanent homes. One horse found on the farm was euthanized early this month due to a neurological condition, the agriculture department said.
Maria Borell is the former trainer of 2015 Sprint Champion Runhappy. While she was charged along with her father, Kentucky officials have said that Borell is not residing in Kentucky and that they do not intend to extradite her.