Judge rules advocate made slanderous comments about animal shelter employee

A state judge has ruled that false statements made at Hempstead Town Board meetings by an animal advocate about an animal behavioralist were slanderous, awarding the behaviorist $1,500.

Diane Madden, a regular at Hempstead Town Hall who has been critical of the town’s animal shelter operations, made a series of public accusations in 2019 that impugned the reputation of Christie Fanti, State Supreme Court Justice Gary Carlton wrote in a June 30 decision. The ruling followed a two-day bench trial.

In January, the town hired Madden to work as a consultant to the animal shelter.

“The statements that plaintiff [Fanti] falsified her certification, lied about her credentials, or lied throughout the hiring process were false,” Carlton wrote. Madden’s statements “were not merely loose rhetoric, hyperbole, or nonactionable opinion,” the judge wrote, rejecting Madden's defense that they were constitutionally protected opinions. 

Carlton awarded Fanti “modest damages” of $1,500, noting she had not proven financial damages caused by the slander.

The town hired Fanti in 2017 to perform duties at the town's animal shelter including behavioral evaluations, intake assessments, staff and volunteer training and assisting with rescues and adoptions, according to court records.

After Madden repeatedly attacked Fanti’s qualifications and honesty, Fanti sued for libel and slander in 2019. Fanti’s contract was not renewed but she was subsequently hired to work in the animal shelter as a town employee.

Carlton dismissed counts of libel — which were based on Facebook posts — because Fanti did not enter the posts into evidence. Carlton wrote he found Madden’s “claimed inability to recall whether she had authored the Facebook post unpersuasive.”

“I feel very vindicated,” Fanti said in an interview. “It was never about money. I wanted an apology, to be honest. I wanted to correct the record.”

Fanti, who quit working for the town in 2023, said she has avoided seeking local employment due to Madden's accusations. Instead, she said she has focused on working for national organizations.

“I've had to explain myself over and over and over again and just explain to people what the real situations were,” Fanti said.

Madden said in an interview she is reviewing the decision with her attorney.

“Quite frankly, $1,500 is pennies to me,” Madden said. “I'm actually delighted at the outcome of the lawsuit because she didn't prevail on the libel.”

Madden also ran as a Democratic candidate for Hempstead town board in 2013 and a Libertarian candidate for town supervisor in 2019.

Town spokesman Brian Devine did not respond to a request for comment on whether the decision will affect Madden’s consulting work with the town.

On July 7, Fanti addressed the town board that hired Madden in January to serve as paid consultant to the animal shelter. Madden had no professional dog training experience or formal education in animal husbandry or dog training, a fact the judge noted in his decision and which Fanti repeated to the town board.

“The people advising this board on animal welfare should be held to the highest standards of honesty, expertise and accountability,” Fanti told the board.

Fanti said the board should be careful about allowing people to make public accusations about town employees. “When information is available to verify or refute these claims, facts, not repetition, should guide the public narrative protecting the integrity of your employees, which protects the integrity of the town.”