After Four Long Years, Schnader Attorney Reunites Katrina Survivor With His Beloved Dog

Stephen Dye, a partner in Schnader’s San Francisco office, was mentioned in a June 4 Associated Press article titled “Film Explores Katrina Pet Ownership Disputes.” Jessie Pullins reluctantly left his dog J.J. behind when Hurricane Katrina chased his family out of New Orleans in August 2005. Mr. Pullins knew for more than two years that his dog was rescued from his home, flown to California and adopted by two sisters, but it took a court battle to reunite them. Mr. Pullins’ fight to regain J.J. is portrayed in “Mine: Taken in Katrina,” an award-winning documentary that is scheduled to air on PBS next year. A Schnader team led by Stephen volunteered to represent Mr. Pullins on a pro bono basis to help him get J.J. back. When efforts to resolve the matter without litigation went nowhere, Mr. Pullins, with the help of Schnader, filed a lawsuit in California against the sisters and the humane society. After more than a year of legal wrangling, the sisters who adopted J.J. agreed to send him to New Orleans to be reunited with Pullins.  The story was subsequently covered in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Baltimore Sun, and msnbc.com.