Humboldt court lets animal cruelty case against Alexandre Family Farm advance

Humboldt County Superior Court has kept the Alexandre Family Farm animal-cruelty case moving, refusing to quash subpoenas and leaving open a path for documents and testimony that could show who knew what about the dairy’s treatment of cattle.

The May 27 ruling matters because subpoenas are often the tool that turns allegations into proof. In a case that already accuses the Elk River-area dairy of pouring table salt into cows’ eyes, dragging disabled cows across concrete and starving cattle, the order gives Legal Impact for Chickens another chance to press for records and witnesses tied to the farm’s daily operations, management decisions and treatment of injured animals.

Legal Impact for Chickens filed the suit on September 30, 2024, in Humboldt County Superior Court under the name LIC v. Alexandre Family Farm. The group says the case grew out of an April 2024 Farm Forward exposé, prepared with rancher whistleblowers, that described “systemic deception, cruelty, and animal abuse” at Alexandre Family Farm, which sells milk at Whole Foods and other large grocers and markets itself as America’s first certified regenerative dairy.

The court had already signaled that the case could go forward. On June 4, 2025, the judge denied Alexandre’s demurrer, allowing the cruelty lawsuit to proceed after oral argument before Judge Timothy Canning on March 14, 2025. The new subpoena ruling extends that path and reinforces the court’s earlier view that California law permits an SPCA to proffer a complaint involving animal-protection violations. California Corporations Code section 10404 says SPCAs may proffer a complaint and aid in prosecution.

That legal footing gives the case broader reach than a typical farm dispute. If the subpoenas produce internal records or witness testimony, the evidence could identify which employees or managers handled sick or disabled cows, how complaints moved through the company and whether the farm’s public image matched conditions in the barns and corrals. Those issues matter not only to the Alexandres, including Stephanie Alexandre, Blake Alexandre and Joseph Alexandre, but also to Humboldt County’s agricultural community, where similar cruelty claims could now face a more aggressive civil enforcement model.

The case has already drawn pressure from outside the courtroom. The Regenerative Organic Alliance suspended Alexandre’s certification after its own investigation, the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance criticized the farm, and a separate consumer class action filed in March 2025, brought by San Diego resident Leilani Taylor, alleged deceptive marketing and could seek more than $5 million.

Alexandre Family Farm also petitioned the California Court of Appeal for a writ of mandate on July 3, 2025. The First Appellate District denied that petition, sending the case back to Humboldt County Superior Court, where the next phase now appears likely to turn on what the subpoenas uncover.