Carole Baskin
Founder of Big Cat Rescue, a Florida big-cat sanctuary; featured in Tiger King
- Entries
- 8
- On the record
- 5
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Jul 27, 2026
The record
Carole Baskin's court record runs mostly through cases that she and Big Cat Rescue, the nonprofit she leads as CEO, brought against Joseph Maldonado-Passage, known as Joe Exotic. A federal appeals court later set out the background: after he renamed his traveling cub shows "Big Cat Rescue Entertainment" with similar lettering and people confused the two, Baskin sued him and obtained a $1 million judgment for copyright and trademark infringement, then began trying to collect on it.
To collect, Big Cat Rescue sued in federal court in Oklahoma, alleging that the zoo land had been moved out of reach through fraudulent transfers. The court rejected two abuse-of-process counterclaims in 2017, and in June 2020 declared the deeds void and ordered the zoo's landholding company to vacate the land and remove the animals within 120 days. In July 2021 the Tenth Circuit upheld Maldonado-Passage's conviction for trying to hire two men to kill her, while sending the case back for resentencing.
Outside the courts, Big Cat Rescue says it played a pivotal role in passing the federal Big Cat Public Safety Act, enacted on December 20, 2022 to end private ownership and public handling of big cats. In 2024 the group moved all of its cats to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge and stopped running a sanctuary, and it now funds wild cat conservation. Baskin wrote that she was invited to join the IUCN Species Survival Commission Cat Specialist Group on July 27, 2026.
Roles and honours on the record
Every entry, newest first
- Ruled
Judge orders zoo property transferred to Big Cat Rescue after finding a fraudulent transfer, per The Hollywood Reporter. Joe Exotic got 21 years for murder-for-hire; Baskin won $1M
Stories in this file
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The record, entry by entry
- 2016-08-22 Filed Big Cat Rescue filed its amended complaint in Big Cat Rescue Corp. v. Schreibvogel in the Western District of Oklahoma, alleging fraudulent transfers and seeking a constructive trust and equitable lien to reach property tied to its judgments. U.S. District Court, W.D. Okla., order, No. CIV-16-155 (Sept. 11, 2017)
- 2017-09-11 Ruled The court denied defendant Shirley Schreibvogel leave to file an abuse-of-process counterclaim against Big Cat Rescue and dismissed the same counterclaim brought by Greater Wynnewood Development Group. U.S. District Court, W.D. Okla., order, No. CIV-16-155
- 2020-06-01 Ruled The court found the deeds to the zoo land were fraudulent transfers as to Big Cat Rescue and void, entered default judgment against Greater Wynnewood Development Group, and ordered it to vacate the land and remove the zoo animals within 120 days. It denied Big Cat Rescue's motion for attorney fees. U.S. District Court, W.D. Okla., order, No. CIV-16-155, Doc. 152
- 2021-07-14 Ruled The Tenth Circuit affirmed Maldonado-Passage's conviction for plotting to have Baskin killed, describing two attempts within weeks to hire men to do it, one an employee and one an undercover FBI agent, but vacated his sentence and remanded for resentencing. U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, published opinion, No. 20-6010
- 2022-12-20 Official The Big Cat Public Safety Act, H.R. 263, became Public Law 117-243. Big Cat Rescue says it played a pivotal role in its passage. U.S. Government Publishing Office, Public Law 117-243
- 2024 Official Big Cat Rescue moved all of its cats to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, where it pays for their lifetime care, and stopped operating a sanctuary. Big Cat Rescue, organization statement
- 2026-07-27 Official Baskin was invited to join the IUCN Species Survival Commission Cat Specialist Group, according to an article she wrote as Big Cat Rescue's CEO. Big Cat Rescue, article by Carole Baskin
Documents
- Order, Big Cat Rescue Corp. v. Schreibvogel, W.D. Okla. No. CIV-16-155, Doc. 152 (June 1, 2020)
- Order on counterclaims, Big Cat Rescue Corp. v. Schreibvogel, W.D. Okla. No. CIV-16-155 (Sept. 11, 2017)
- Opinion, United States v. Maldonado-Passage, 10th Cir. No. 20-6010 (July 14, 2021)
- Big Cat Public Safety Act, Public Law 117-243 (Dec. 20, 2022)
- Big Cat Rescue, Carole Baskin on joining the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group (2026)