Moody Gardens sued after visitor bitten by monkeys

A Harris County woman is suing over claims she was injured when she was attacked by two monkeys at a Galveston hotel attraction.

Evelyn Rumfield filed a lawsuit June 16 in the Galveston County District Court against Moody Gardens Inc., citing a wild animal attack. 

According to the complaint, Rumfield was at the rainforest attraction at Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston on June 17, 2012, when she was bitten and scratched by two cotton-top tamarins, a type of monkey.

Rumfield claims that after the attack, a Moody Gardens employee falsely told several media outlets that the attack was probably brought on by plaintiff's negligence.

Moody Gardens is accused of injury by premises condition, strict liability - wild animal, negligent handling of an animal and defamation.

Rumfield is seeking damages and court costs of no more than $100,000.

She is being represented in the case by attorney Brandon S. Davenport of Davenport Law PC in Dallas.

Galveston County District Court Case No. 14-CV-0656

 

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Galveston County District Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.