Last week a Chimpanzee garnered national headlines as its owners were slated to go to court to fight for custody in Sarasota.

James “Mike” Casey of Missouri is taking the chimp’s caretaker, Virginia “Gini” Valbuena, to court.  Casey and his ex-wife ran a chimp farm together while they were married.  He believes that during their contested divorce, his ex-wife gave the chimp, named Eli, to Valbuena.

Casey claims the chimp rightfully belongs to him, and that the chimp was born during his divorce.  Valbuena, however, claims she got the chimp from a California wildlife park, and maintains that Casey’s ex-wife did not give her the chimp.

Casey’s attorney called for DNA evidence to help prove where the chimp came from under the same laws applied in paternity disputes. Casey says the DNA would be compared to the chimp’s parents at the farm.  If the DNA matches, then it proves the chimp is his.

Valbuena’s attorney contested the motion for DNA testing.

After reviewing testimony, Circuit Court Judge Charles Roberts eventually decided that DNA testing should be not done. He did however say that a DNA test could be done in the future if new details surrounding the case were introduced.

Scott Ellerin is a Jacksonville family law attorney with extensive experience in child custody disputes and issues. To contact the Law Office of Scott Ellerin, please call (904) 866-4489!