The last public execution of an animal in the US took place in 1916.
This is generally true. In Ohio, for instance, you’re liable for damages if your dog bites anyone unless (1) the person was trespassing, or (2) the person provoked the dog.
Chronos and PatriotGrrrl are correct that, in condemnation and asset-forfeiture cases, the property itself is listed as the defendant. Strange but true.
More on civil forfeiture:
“Forfeiture takes two distinct forms – criminal and civil. Nearly all contemporary forfeiture involves the civil variety. Criminal forfeiture operates as punishment for a crime. It, therefore, requires a conviction, following which the state takes the assets in question from the criminal. Civil forfeiture rests on the idea (a legal fiction) that the property itself, not the owner, has violated the law. Thus, the proceeding is directed against the res, or the thing involved in some illegal activity specified by statute. Unlike criminal forfeiture, in rem forfeiture does not require a conviction or even an official criminal charge against the owner.”
Forfeiture, from Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute.
Incidentally, my favorite civil forfeiture case is 2174 Obscene Devices v. State of Texas, 33 S.W.3d 904 (Tex.App.–Houston [14th Dist.] 2000, no pet.). That must have been quite a sight.
Here are two threads where we discussed forfeitures:
Begun, the vibrator war has.
That’s too bad. Some of us would like to prosecute this one for stalking.
I think this explains the locals’ motivation adequately…:rolleyes:
For your reading pleasure:
It was a baaad goat I tells ya.
This is the most awesome post I’ve read in a long, long time. 
Every once in a while, I get off a good one. 