A bit of monkey business went down Thursday at Texas' Jefferson County Courthouse as a woman fought to keep one of her beloved pets.
Two monkeys in the courthouse made for a day of firsts for county judges and attorneys, but it was a serious matter for Debbie Berg.
A Mississippi woman is challenging Berg's ownership of her 6-year-old monkey, Keko.
Berg was in court to get a protective order to help her keep her monkey at home.
With her monkey on her back moments before walking into the court room, Berg said she couldn't imagine losing Keko.
"That would be devastating, totally devastating. It would be hard on Keko, too. Imagine taking a six-year-old child, putting it into a home it doesn't know. It's the same scenario," said Berg.
Except in this scenario, Sharon Campell claims Keko was hers, but then repossessed before the breeder died in 2008.
She served Berg with an order to answer questions about the ownership.
"I feel very confident that I have the proof that Keko is my monkey," said Berg.
Keko is the daughter of a movie star in "Monkey Trouble," and Berg bought Keko as a companion for her other monkey, Daisy, in 2006.
That's a year before Berg's attorney Justin Sanderson says Campell's monkey was born.
Campell didn't show up for the hearing, but you could hear them calling out as the judge granted Berg's attorney a protection order.
That order relieves Berg from having to answering Campell's Discovery order, or list of questions, while her attorney files to dismiss the suit.
"This is a case of first impressions so to speak for me," said Sanderson. "but it's a good break from the normal law suits."
Judge Tom Rugg says he allowed the monkeys into his courtroom hoping it could bring closure to the controversy.
"My thinking was, among other things, is that it might well be that if this lady from Miss. showed up, she might be able to look at these monkeys and say those are not my monkeys," said Judge Rugg. "That might have ended the controversy for us so I thought that was a real possibility that this might be beneficial.
Strolling them in the courtroom is nothing new to Berg who takes the primate pair everywhere.
"Daisy is a service animal, and she basically my crutch to the outside world," said Berg.
After the hearing, the woman welcomed the monkeying around by courthouse goers who were curious about the unique pets.
"It's more of an attachment with primates because they're so close to us," said Berg.
She just hopes to keep Keko close.
Campell is representing herself in this ownership case, and couldn't be reached for comment.
In addition to working to get the case dismissed, Berg's attorney says he also plans to ask Campell to pay Berg's attorney fees.
TXT 24
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