Rosie Under Fire From Animal Rights Group
By Cheryl K. Chumley
CNS Staff Writer
December 05, 2000

(CNSNews.com) – Television’s renowned “Queen of Nice” Rosie O’Donnell is
being sued by an animal rights organization for statements she made about
the use of leather during a September 15 airing of her show.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a suit against O’Donnell
Tuesday in Circuit Court in Arlington, Va., alleging her broadcasted
declaration that “Gap [clothing retailer] uses only leather that is approved
from PETA” demonstrated a “reckless disregard” for the group’s basic tenets.

PETA has claimed group members notified O’Donnell of their absolute
opposition to the use of leather for any products prior to the airing of the
show.

Spokespeople for O’Donnell said they are not aware of any lawsuit and could
not comment.

O’Donnell, according to PETA’s director of policy and communications,
appeared on her September show wearing a full-length black leather jacket
purchased from the Gap clothing company, and defended her choice of apparel
by referring to the endorsement from the animal rights group.

“Just so you know,” O’Donnell said during the broadcast, according to a PETA
release, “the Gap uses only leather that is approved from PETA, because it’s
byproducts of cows, it’s not, whatever. But that’s the truth, because we got
into it and we read a legal thing, and that’s the truth. So I didn’t do
anything to any cow to have this [leather coat] on.”

Since the airing of the show, PETA has received numerous complaints from
viewers confused about the group’s attitudes towards the use of leather,
said Lisa Lange, the group’s director of policy and communications.

“There is no such thing as PETA approved leather,” she said. “The only PETA
approved leather is fake.”

Prior to the filing of the lawsuit, Lange said her organization attempted to
contact O’Donnell to request a publicly broadcast clarification five times,
but received “no response whatsoever” from either her or anyone connected to
the program.

“We, in good faith, approached Rosie and asked her to retract the on-air
comments that were so potentially damaging to our organization,” Lange
continued. “We got nothing … and we sent nice letters, too. Our last
resort was to file a lawsuit.”

The lawsuit seeks a televised retraction and $350,000 in punitive damages.

The money, PETA reported, would be used to pay for the broadcast 10 times of
a commercial of singing cows imploring viewers “to steer clear of leather.”

Lange, who expressed disappointment in both O’Donnell’s statements and her
choice of clothing, also said she was hopeful the talk show hostess would
welcome the airing of the advertisement during her morning program as “kind
of a fun” way to make amends.

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