Why Opening Statements in Zoe Rosenberg’s Chicken Rescue Trial Will Go Down in History

Zoe Rosenberg is facing off against one of the world’s most powerful industries in what’s become known as the Chicken Rescue Trial.

Hollywood, California, October 5th, 2025 – UnchainedTV has made a commitment to offer live daily reports with urgent, real-time panel discussions on one of the most closely watched animal rights trials in recent memory. Opening statements are set to begin Monday, October 6th in the high-profile case of Zoe Rosenberg, a 23-year-old animal advocate facing a felony conspiracy charge and three misdemeanors for rescuing 4 chickens from a truck in a California slaughterhouse. The nation watches—and so do we.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE DAILY TRIAL COVERAGE & PAST LIVE REPORTS

Alexandra Paul, actress/activist

Day one of UnchainedTV’s coverage of opening statements will feature famed actress/activist Alexandra Paul. Best known for her starring role in Baywatch, this longtime animal activist was also prosecuted for rescuing chickens off of a slaughter truck along with a fellow activist, an “open rescue” that happened in 2021 in Merced County. Both were found not guilty, considered a huge victory for the animal rights movement.

But, it appears prosecutors in Sonoma County have learned from that case. While Alexandra Paul was charged with theft, the theft charges against Zoe Rosenberg were dropped, potentially limiting the ability of the defense to describe the condition of the animals inside the slaughterhouse.

This elimination of theft charges also occurred in the 2023 trial of Direct Action Everywhere co-founder Wayne Hsiung who was charged with conspiracy and misdemeanors connected to “open rescues” at factory farms in 2018 and 2019. Hsiung was found guilty. Due, in part to the theft charges being dropped, evidence of the conditions of the animals in question was almost entirely absent from the trial. Hsiung is appealing.

A Tale of 2 Trials

In the Rosenberg case, 7 men and 5 women, will decide her fate. More than 300 potential jurors were called and a very high percentage of them asked to be excused for hardship as the judge has warned this case – already entering its 4th week – could last through the end of October. Another reason the jury selection process was agonizingly slow was the intense controversy surrounding what has become a David and Goliath battle pitting industrialized animal agriculture against a young animal advocate who says she acted because authorities refuse to enforce animal cruelty laws when it comes to farmed animals, like chickens.

Portential Jurors Asked By Prosecutors If They Knew Any Vegans

UnchainedTV’s Expert Panel

UnchainedTV has gathered a panel of expert attorneys and seasoned activists to unpack the legal complexities and social stakes of this landmark case. They include attorneys Justine Block and Shaka Smith, Tiffany Brunelli who is former law enforcement investigator turned animal activist, Animal Alliance Network executive director Ellen Dent, UnchainedTV host Lindsey Baker and Renee King-Sonnen, who turned her Texas cattle ranch into a vegan farmed animal sanctuary. Longtime TV journalist, author and UnchainedTV founder Jane Velez-Mitchell will host the coverage, which will occur daily during the court lunch break, except for Wednesdays when court is dark.

Live from outside the Sonoma County courthouse, reporter Matthew Zirbel delivers real-time updates, witness reactions, and inside details as the trial unfolds. Matthew will report directly on what’s happening inside the courtroom—offering viewers insights into how both the prosecution and defense are framing this pivotal case.

Rosenberg, co-founder of Happy Hen Animal Sanctuary and a central figure in the Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) animal rights movement, has pleaded not guilty to the felony conspiracy charge and the 3 misdemeanors including trespass and vehicle tampering. She says the 4 chickens she rescued from the slaughter truck at Perdue Farms’ Petaluma Poultry were sick and suffering and she immediately made sure they got veterinary care. Rosenberg, who also made sure her actions that night were videotaped, argues DxE had tried for years to get authorities to investigate what she calls criminal animal cruelty at the slaughterhouse including – she alleges – chickens being boiled alive. Perdue denies all cruelty allegations insisting it has high animal welfare standards and calls DxE extremists. The company is invited on any time to respond further.

A Tug of War Over Industrialized Animal Production

This trial has become a flashpoint in the national conversation about industrialized animal agriculture, animal rescue, corporate transparency, and the criminalization of compassion. It’s also fueling a renewed lobbying push by powerful agricultural interests who say Rosenberg and her colleagues have a radical agenda to eliminate animal agriculture. To that Rosenberg’s supporters say animal consumption is unnecessary and contributes to the climate crisis, human health issues and animal suffering, arguing it is not an essential industry but a destructive one.

In this powerful live discussion, our panel will dive into:

The legal definitions of conspiracy and how they apply in animal rescue contexts

The potential impact of this trial on the Right to Rescue

The mounting animal agriculture industry backlash to the Right to Rescue movement

Public opinion shifting around animal rights and factory farm transparency

The intersection of activism and First Amendment rights

This is not just a trial—it’s a test of how far society is willing to go to protect entrenched systems of industrialized animal production, while refusing to investigate repeated allegations of animal suffering. As opening statements are heard in court, our panel asks: Should rescuing a life in danger ever be considered a criminal act? We urge all Americans to follow UnchainedTV’s unprecedented daily LIVE coverage of this trial to its conclusion.