A Texas jury recently awarded $1.2 million to a Houston veterinarian who claimed he was wrongly fired after making complaints about animal cruelty to city officials. Sam Levingston, 72, filed suit against the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care alleging he was terminated from his veterinarian position with the city in retaliation for complaints he made to Bureau director John Nix that kennel employees were doing their jobs improperly and mistreating animals.

According to Levingston, on several occasions workers beat animals under their care and drowned others using choke sticks. A spokesperson for the Houston Health Department said the Bureau would appeal the decision, insisting that Levingston was fired for allowing a Rottweiler and her nine puppies to die from starvation.