Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Zooey Deschanel allegedly sued for riding horse too much

The actress allegedly returned horse “injured and unusuable”

Ella Alexander
Friday 12 December 2014 08:58 EST
Comments
4. 'New Girl' Zooey Deschanel
4. 'New Girl' Zooey Deschanel (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

For those who didn’t know, Zooey Deschanel is an enthusiastic equestrian, who has competed in numerous competitions.

But her passion for horseriding has now led to legal trouble. The actress is being sued by Patty Parker, who “leased” her a horse in 2013, over claims that Deschanel rode the animal too often.

A spokesperson for the actress could not be reached when approached by The Independent. It's too early for her to have yet filed a defence.

The New Girl star is said to have paid £13,000 to lease the horse called Literati. She allegedly signed a contract which prohibited the animal from being overworked. Restrictions included “no more than 3 jumping lessons per week”.

Parker claims that the Deschanel returned the horse ”injured and unusable”. She alleges Literati needed medical attention and wants the actress to pay the veterinary costs.

According to United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), the only time Deschanel competed Literati in a USEF-recognised competition was in August 2013 at the Blenheim Summer Classic.

The actress has two films due for release in 2015, Rock The Kasbah and The Driftless Area.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in