ELBURN – An Elburn veterinarian who breeds ragdoll cats reached a settlement with one of five anonymous John Does she sued, claiming they had defamed her in online websites, court records show.
Jennifer Creed, who owns A+ Pet Vet Inc., 41W704 Far View Road in Campton Township near Elburn, also doing business as A+ Dr. Jenn's Ragdolls, according to the Illinois Secretary of State Business Services, sued for interference with her business, defamatory statements that harmed her reputation and her business and caused her emotional distress.
Creed's suit sought damages in excess of $50,000, and that the nameless defendants be compelled to remove the various offending websites.
Last month, Creed's attorney Liz Brodzinski filed court papers seeking a dismissal of the lawsuit without prejudice – which means she can refile her claims at a later date – against four of the five.
In court papers, Creed said she had reached a confidential settlement agreement May 19 with John Doe 1 and sought to have the lawsuit dismissed against him with prejudice – meaning she cannot refile the suit against him. Also according to the dismissal filing, Brodzinski noted, "None of the defendants have filed appearances."
According to court records, Kane County Circuit Court Judge James Murphy granted the voluntary dismissal of the charges against John Doe 1 with prejudice and John Does 2-5 without prejudice.
The various websites Creed sought to shut down had accused her of piling kittens in cages and of breeding kittens with congenital defects – both allegations she disputed in court papers as false and defamatory. Other comments sought to shut down her business and have her veterinary license revoked, according to the lawsuit.
Creed has been licensed as a veterinarian in Illinois since 1993 and has never been disciplined, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. According to the Better Business Bureau, Creed's business is listed as an accredited agency since June 1, 2014, with no complaints listed against it.
A person answering the phone at Creed's cat breeding business hung up when a reporter called.
"Neither we nor our client can comment," Brodzinski said.