It’s the end of Week 2 in the Chicken Rescue Trial in Santa Rosa, California. Critical courtroom decisions are underway that will determine what the jury sees and hears. With a jury still not seated and opening statements not expected until sometime next week at the earliest, UnchainedTV’s expert panel returns with live courthouse reporting and in-depth legal analysis.

The defendant, Zoe Rosenberg, is a 23-year-old animal cruelty investigator with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE). She faces one felony conspiracy charge and three misdemeanors, including trespass, after rescuing what she called four sick and suffering chickens—later named Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea—from a slaughter truck at Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse. Zoe says she acted out of necessity, claiming she had tried for years to report what she believes is criminal animal cruelty at the facility, but was completely ignored by law enforcement.

This week’s testimony focused on two key defense witnesses: Carla Cabral, a veterinary technician and DxE animal caretaker. In a victory for the defense, the judge ruled Cabral can testify as a limited expert in animal care.

Also testifying, Raven Deerbrook, a renowned undercover investigator whose daring exposés have garnered national news coverage. Raven says she investigated Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse in the 3 months leading up to Rosenberg’s June 2023 rescue and shared her findings with Zoe. This included photographs Raven says she took of USDA documents she saw inside the slaughterhouse, documents Raven says showed large numbers of animals reaching the slaughterhouse dead on arrival and others being condemned - removed from the food supply - for issues like septicemia, a form of blood poisoning. The defense says Raven’s findings played a pivotal role in shaping Zoe’s decision to intervene. A big issue is whether these condemnation records will be admitted and whether the jury will get to hear about them. Without them, the defense says that jurors would be denied a complete picture of the conditions Zoe was responding to. Even the judge acknowledged: “This is a critical issue for both sides.” He is expected to rule soon.

Meanwhile, Perdue strongly denies allegations of animal cruelty, maintaining it follows high welfare standards. The company also claims Direct Action Everywhere is an extremist group with a radical agenda. Perdue is invited at any time to comment further or present their perspective in this ongoing coverage.

Now, UnchainedTV host Jane Velez-Mitchell and this expert panel take a deep dive into this historic trial.