Dog the Bounty Hunter Faced with $ 1.3 Million Lawsuit for “Racist and Homophobic Behavior”

Reality TV star Dog the Bounty Hunter was sentenced to $ 1.3 million in court, accusing him of “racist and homophobic behavior” during the making of a TV show that was canceled before it even started. to be broadcast.

‘Dog’ – whose real name is Duane Chapman – received legal papers in Florida while searching for missing fugitive Brian Laundrie.

The lawsuit claims Chapman was fired from Dog: Unleashed! for using racist epithets and wearing an illegal Taser that he allegedly used to intimidate entering someone’s home, according to court documents seen by The Sun.

A representative for Dog said the allegations made in the lawsuit were “malicious false allegations without any merit.”

Dog is currently leading a manhunt for fugitive Brian Laundrie – but the search was dismissed as a publicity stunt by the star’s daughter, Cecily Chapman, 28.

The 68-year-old documented his search for Laundrie on social media – most recently posting images of him wading through the park’s swampy waters.

Reality TV Dog: Unleashed! was supposed to follow the star as he stalked violent fugitives across the United States, but it was canceled on April 1, 2021 – weeks before the scheduled premiere date.

Today, Unleashed Entertainment President and CEO Michael Donovan sues the reality star for libel, claiming Dog’s actions during production “violated contractual agreements,” according to a statement to The Sun .

In the lawsuit, Donovan slaps Dog with a libel lawsuit claiming he was fired from the show for using racial epithets “to attack black teenage Black Lives Matter Activists.”

Donovan’s lawsuit claims investigation into Dog’s use of racial epithets led to the discovery that he also “illegally holstered and carried a Taser device while filming in Virginia, which is illegal in the Commonwealth since Chapman was convicted of a violent crime “.

Violent crime refers to Dog’s 1976 conviction for first degree murder.

In 1976, Chapman was arrested for participating in a drug deal that went awry in Texas when his accomplice shot and killed Jerry Oliver, 69.

While Chapman was in the getaway car and was not involved in the shooting, he was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to five years in state prison.

Chapman says he’s still trying to erase his name and erase the conviction from his record. But he hasn’t been able to get the proper permissions to carry guns, write bonds, investigate cases or even travel to countries like the UK.

Donovan’s lawsuit claims Dog wore a taser when entering a suspect’s home during filming and included a Twitter photo from the time of filming as evidence.

The lawsuit says Dog claimed he was “wearing a prop,” but when a representative for Donovan asked if the taser was real, Dog replied, “Of course”, which the lawsuit claims mean Dog “knowingly and criminally possessed a weapon in violation of Virginia code.

Donovan’s trial claims that Dog “engaged in conduct to attack the plaintiff for terminating his contract and this conduct led the defendant to commit the tort of libel,” reported The Sun.

As proof, the lawsuit contains a tweet of April 7 intended for Donovan which says: “Unleashed reps are trying to steal information about Jack Miss’s lead shortages etc. all fans of the bounty hunter dog and the bounty hunter dog are also a registered trademark by us,” which, according to the prosecution, wrongly accuses Donovan and his associates of criminal activity, and constitutes as defamation and attempt to “damage the reputation of the plaintiff”.

The costume quotes another tweet from September 16, 2021 which reads: ‘They will see how you lied about all of us, you slip up again and little boys daddy,’ which the costume says is misleading about the real cause of the cancellation of the show.

” The ” Lies’ ” The Accused Chapman’s credentials are the actual facts surrounding the cancellation of his reality TV show … So this statement is not a statement of general opinion, but rather, a statement that the accused uses as true to cover up his immoral and criminal activity, ”says the prosecution.

To add an ignorant insult to an injury, the accused resorts to tired homophobic tropes, calling one of the openly gay plaintiffs ‘daddy’ in a mocking manner and making a vile and disgusting implication using the words ‘little boys’ and ‘daddy’ together, ” the costume added.

Although Dog did not file a response to the lawsuit, his representatives called the lawsuit “bogus” and said it was intended to cover up the fraud in which Donovan’s company is involved.

“The allegations made against Dog Chapman by convicted criminal Mike Donovan are malicious false allegations without any merit,” a representative of Dog’s legal team told The Sun.

“The lawsuit is nothing more than a response to Dog’s refusal to make a deal with Donovan and his company, and to realize that in addition to Donovan’s criminal history, there were several active fraud investigations. in his company Free by Nexus of several state attorneys general. “

“Dog is very confident that the fictitious claims will be dismissed and he will then pursue the claims against Donovan for malicious prosecution,” added the representative.

EXCLUSIVE: Dog The Bounty Hunter is not allowed to capture fugitives after his murder conviction in 1976 and could face kidnapping charges if he finds Brian Laundrie and detains him against his will

If Dog The Bounty Hunter found fugitive Brian Laundrie, he couldn’t arrest or detain him or he would risk being charged with kidnapping, DailyMail.com reveals.

That’s because Dog, whose real name is Duane Chapman, isn’t actually licensed as a bounty hunter or private investigator in Florida – or anywhere else DailyMail.com has found – making his hunt in Laundrie potentially risky because it is legally prohibited to arrest or detain anyone against their will.

According to professional bounty hunters in Florida, there is no legal difference between Dog or any citizen who decides to join in the search for Laundrie, whose girlfriend Gabby Petito was found murdered on September 19 in a secluded part. of Teton County, Wyoming.

And arresting a citizen is verboten – unless you catch the offender committing a crime.

Florida Bounty Hunters, whose job it is to find and arrest suspects who don’t show up in court, are amused that Dog, who rose to fame with his long-running reality show on his suspect hunt in Hawaii , joined the search.

Chapman recently turned over to the FBI what he considered evidence, including a can of Monster caffeine soda found in the state park.

He has also set up his own phone line and claims to have received “over 2,000 calls” from as far north as Tennessee.

That, however, might be of no use if Chapman can’t even touch Laundrie.

Mike Harrison, vice president of the Florida Bail Bondsmen Association, said Chapman himself could face criminal charges if he made the mistake of seizing Laundrie.

“It would be kidnapping or bogus imprisonment,” said Harrison, the Tallahassee area bail bond.

Harrison says Dog’s lack of license is well known in the industry and stems from his former murder conviction.

Jennifer Willingham, Dog’s publicist, responded to DailyMail.com’s request for comment in an email saying there was “nothing tenuous” about Chapman’s legal status.

She declined to expand and said Chapman was in the field and could not be reached for comment.

According to state records, the only active and valid license Chapman has is to sell insurance in Hawaii.

This is why Chapman was often accompanied by his namesake son when he searched for riders on bail across eight seasons of A&E Dog The Bounty Hunter; and why Dog was armed with a taser and bear repellant instead of a pistol.

Chapman’s son, Duane Lee Chapman II, now works as a bail bond in Jacksonville, Florida.

He seems estranged from his father and has often complained on the show that his old man is working him like a, well, dog.

Laundrie’s home state of Florida strictly regulates those who hunt humans, according to Harrison.

He says Florida removed the words “bounty hunter” from laws that regulate bail serfs in 2007.

“They changed the verbiage in the law to prevent guys like Dog from coming here from out of state to find people they haven’t followed,” Harrison said.