Five horse owners are suing Equine Angels Rescue, claiming the Cabot-based nonprofit organization maliciously took their horses and harmed their reputations to get publicity and generate donations.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Butler County Court, asks the courts to return the horses to the plaintiffs, most of whom still face pending cases of cruelty to the animals.

Meantime, while the lawsuit is being resolved, the plaintiffs are asking the courts to forbid Equine Angels or any of the other three plaintiffs from selling or destroying the horses or returning to any of the plaintiffs’ properties.

The 38-page lawsuit alleges the defendants committed nine violations: invasion of privacy, fraud, trespassing, conversion, trespassing to chattels, defamation, violations to the 4th and 14th amendments and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Equine Angels’ director Pamela Vivirito, when contacted said only, “People tend to get very angry when they cannot get away with neglect anymore.”

She referred all other questions to her attorney, John “Jack” Haller of Cranberry Township, who could not be reached.

Butler attorney Al Lindsay, who represents the horse owners, said only, “The lawsuit speaks for itself.”

Lindsay represents these plaintiffs: Brian Arendosh, 48, of Fairview Township; Geraldine Geibel, 22, of Summit Township; Elan L. Lewis, 57, of Clearfield Township and of New Castle, and Debra Gaus and her daughter, Jessica Gossett, no age available for either, of Polk, Venango County.

The lawsuit also names state police trooper Shawn E. King, the police animal control officer, accusing him of conspiring with Vivirito and using ill-gotten evidence to file criminal cases.

King and a spokesman for the state police declined to comment, each saying they had not seen the lawsuit.

Veterinarian Brian Burks of Apollo is named as a defendant because he allegedly was present when some of the horses were seized and he determined which animals would be taken, according to the lawsuit.

When contacted, Burks said he stands by his actions in the cases he was involved with: Arendosh, Geibel, Gaus and Gossett.

“All of these horses were abused,” Burks said.