Woman Awarded $130,000 After Her Cat Accused Of Scratching

A woman who was zapped by a stungun and arrested after her cat was accused of scratching a neighbor will receive a $130,000 settlement from the city and King County.

After 11 hours of negotiations, the city on Thursday agreed to pay $80,000 and the county $50,000 to former Redmond resident Dianne Adler.

Under the settlement’s terms, neither the city nor the county admits to any wrongdoing in the subduing and subsequent arrest of Adler on May 13, 1994.

Adler was living in Redmond when one of her neighbors alleged that her cat “Spoof” had scratched his arm.

Police responded three times in two days in response to the neighbor’s calls. But in all those visits, no one, including King County animal control, tried to corroborate Adler’s claim that Spoof was neutered and declawed.

Adler became angry when police grabbed her in an attempt to calm her down. They then shocked her six times.