Objection! Top Lawyer Arrested For Pepper Spraying Miniature Dogs

Posted by Jose Lambiet , March 4, 2012 Print

University of Miami student Andrea Lopez, with Louis (Special to Gossip Extra)

Big-deal labor lawyer Terence Connor is facing animal cruelty charges after a strange incident two weeks ago.

According to the police report, the 6-foot-2 Conner, 69, pepper sprayed his neighbor’s two miniature dogs – a dachshund and a Maltese – across the back fence of his yard.

Connor

The reason? They were barking. Or so he tells cops.

Still, Connor was hauled off to the slammer Feb. 18 and released on his own recognizance after being charged with two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

– Click here to read the police report

Connor is a partner in the chi-chi downtown Miami lawfirm of Hunton & Williams and considered one of the top labor lawyers in South Florida.

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And if his dog-loving neighbor in Coral Gables is right, he also torments canines.

“He has sprayed water on my dogs before,” said Andrea Lopez, owner of Zeus the Maltese, 10 pounds, and Louis, the overweight dachshund. Lopez, a University of Miami law student, said she didn’t know why her pooches started running and squealing uncontrollably that morning. She managed to catch them and noticed they were foaming at the mouth and wouldn’t open their eyes.

– UPDATE: Peta’s monitoring the case

“I thought the dogs had gotten near a toad. I didn’t even take the time to take off my PJs,” she said. “I rushed them to the vet. That’s where they told me that it was pepper spray.”

The dogs recovered but weren’t their playful selves for days, Lopez said.

When she returned from the vet, Lopez confronted Connor. He allegedly admitted to pepper-spraying them. And he peppered Lopez with an impressive array of F-bombs, too, along with the classic: “Do you know who I am?”

When cops arrived, they described Connor as belligerent.

“(Police) don’t ever f . . . . . g do anything about the dogs barking,” Connor reportedly told them.

When reached in his office, Connor declined comment.

The lawyer’s lawyer didn’t return calls.

This article also appeared in my column in the Miami Herald

Miami animal cruelty, Coral Gables, Coral Gables Police, dachshund, Gossip Extra, Hunton & Williams, Jose Lambiet, labor law, Louis, Maltese, pepper spray, Terence Connor, Terence G. Connor, Zeus

« Previous

Jill, 1 year ago Reply

would like to use 10 gallons of pepper spray on him! Jerk, As_H_le
TIDE ferrari racing,tom davis, 1 year ago Reply

Terrific, This is the same lawyer that sold gasoline to Budists Monks to set themselves on fire then sue the fuel companies. HOW MANY MONK’S to a GALLON?
Joyce Sembling, 1 year ago Reply

Karma’s a bitch.
Nikki, 1 year ago Reply

I love dogs, but having been the victim of my neighbors barking dogs for years (lasting until very late at night, and often lasting all day) I wonder if this woman’s dogs were somewhat of a nuisance? Isn’t feeding your dog too much abuse? Especially a dashund! I have seen dogs have to be put down for being fed too much by their owners. Seems that people should take responsibility for their animals much more than they are these days.
But thank goodness they are ok.
bikerider, 1 year ago Reply

I guess he is just to special and important to think he can go around pepper spraying animals. He also rides his bike to work and leaves his smelly sweaty jock strap hanging in the employee co-ed shower stall. And if you complain about it he wants your name so he can try to get you fired. Nice guy.
- Nikki, 1 year ago Reply
  
  That sound legit.
TIDE ferrari racing, 1 year ago Reply

Lawyers like this thug makes one wish BIRTH CONTROL WAS RETRO-ACTIVE! Save the MIAM,I MARINE Stadium.
Nikki, 1 year ago Reply

As with all things in life, and lawyers know best, there are two sides to every story.
bikerider, 1 year ago Reply

@ Nikki – yes, there are 2 sides to every story. And we see by the police report Terry Connors side – belligerent, disrespectful, cruel and inhumane. Way to go Terry.
bikerider, 1 year ago Reply

I wonder what Marty and Juan think of such a great way to represent . . .
Nancy Jameson, 1 year ago Reply

In this case, there probably were dogs barking– maybe barking loudly and at all hours. This doesn’t excuse pepper spraying dogs of miniature stature who pose no threat. The commitment of this misdemeanor is concrete evidence that he needs help. This is no longer conjecture. He has anger management and other mental issues and treats humans just as badly as he treats animals.
Eduardo, 1 year ago Reply

Dear Jose:
Let me start telling you that I love animals, and also have pets myself, but the only reason that prevent myself from spraying pepper to my neighbor’s dogs is that I’m not a lawyer and eventually it will cost me a lot of money to defend myself.
My neighbors own 4 little dogs that are constantly barking, day and night, to the point that sometimes I can not enjoy being in my own garden or meditate inside my home. Despite the efforts I had made in the past trying to talk to them and leaving kind notes in their mailbox, they never do anything to stop them from barking.
I also spend 80 dollars in an ultrasound bark stopper with no results. In my opinion the ones accountable for animal cruelty are the owners of the pets that leave them unattended for long periods of time.
You cannot imaging how frustrating is having barking dogs and indifferent neighbors for years next to your fence. Sorry to say but this time I stand for the lawyer….
Eduardo from North Beach
- bikerider, 1 year ago Reply
  
  @Eduwardo – yes, it must be frustrating but you can call the police and have them take care of it with your neighbor. That does not excuse the bad behavior of an angry narcissist and the use of pepper spray on small animals. He clearly needs the help of a mental health professional.
Jaime, 1 year ago Reply

bikerider –

you have spent a long time talking about this. Leads me to two questions: 1. were you the one complaining and 2. were you fired?
WorkedWithTGC, 1 year ago Reply

He’s still riding his bike to work? This guy has an incredibly short fuse … he thinks he walks on water, but this labor lawyer has been known to use verbal and physical abuse against employees for decades. Not the upstanding family man he professes to be. Yes, it’s karma … what goes around comes around.
- FomerHWAbusee, 1 year ago Reply
  
  I can’t speak to the physical abuse comment but can say with 100% certainty that he is verbally and mentally abusive to his employees. I was one of them. I also let the appropriate people know why I was leaving so they can never say they didn’t know.
Bikerider, 1 year ago Reply

@ Jaime – No and No. As noted with “WorkedWithTGC” and very well said, he is infamous in this small city and people never forget.
retired with three maltese, 1 year ago Reply

a man who does something like that must be lacking in one area i do not wish to mention
Kids Friend, 1 year ago Reply

I grew up and went to school with the Connor’s kids. The kids were all cool but everyone knew their Dad was a bully and felt sorry for them. He has always been a rigid, unyielding, domineering, disloyal, humorless bastard. He needs serious anger management classes.
rac, 1 year ago Reply

To be fair, maybe he pepper sprays his wife and kids too to keep them in line. He is an equal opportunity bully.
puddin head, 1 year ago Reply

@ RAC I had the same thought. I’d be willing to bet his poor wife has been the victim of abuse for years.
Tiger Girl, 1 year ago Reply

Amazing that there are so many people with negative comments about him. It really makes you wonder how many people he offended over the years . . .