'Luck' Cancelled, After Allegations of Animal Abuse

HBO has cancelled its second season of horse-race based series “Luck,” starring Dustin Hoffman, after the death of three horses during filming.

The network is under heat after Barbara Casey, the previous director of production for the American Humane Association's film and television unit, has accused HBO, Stewart Productions, and the American Humane Association (AHA) of covering up abuse issues and safety violations that led to the poor treatment and/or death of the on-set horses.

Casey is suing AHA after being fired, reportedly for “whistle blowing” when she expressed concern over the animals’ treatment.

Casey makes claims that the horses were often drugged, sick, or underweight during filming. She notes that HBO and Stewart Productions pressured the AHA to look the other way so that they might save time and money, and avoid any issues with the production schedule.

Allegations are also surfacing that horses were intentionally misidentified to confuse medical histories, thus redirecting attention away from mistreated animals.

One horse, named Hometrader, died during the summer hiatus from filming, and his death was not documented to avoid another stain on the show’s reputation.

HBO has released this statement regarding the accusations:

"We took every precaution to ensure that our horses were treated humanely and with the utmost care, exceeding every safeguard of all protocols and guidelines required of the production.”

The AHA has not yet released a statement. They stepped in to shut down production for further investigation after a horse reared, causing a head injury, and was euthanized. That was the third death recorded on-set. The other two horses were injured during the filming of race scenes, and subsequently euthanized.

The cancellation cost HBO a cool $35 million—so much for cutting costs and time.

Kathy Guillermo, a PETA vice president, calls the end of the show a victory.

"Three horses have now died and all the evidence we have gathered points to sloppy oversight, the use of unfit, injured horses, and disregard for the treatment of thoroughbreds,” she said.

"This lawsuit shows that the days when animals could be abused and killed behind the closed doors of the film and television industry are over," PETA said in a statement.