Pet-ty cash

Firefighters are insured and can claim disability benefits from insurance companies for injuries suffered on duty.

Thomas Merryman, who retired from the Los Angeles County Fire Department on 1 March, reportedly was able to claim an insurance payout amounting to $25,000. But he was charged with fraud, false personation, and two counts of forgery on 8 August, New York Post (NYP) reports.

The 45-year-old former fire captain was accused by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office of filing a fake disability claim.

Prosecutors alleged that Merryman forged the names of a fellow fire captain and a doctor on bogus paperwork to secure long-term disability benefits from Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, according to NYP.

Meanwhile, New York couple Mark Longo and Daniela Bittner are expecting as much as $10 million in a payout from the city government in a wrongful death case.

Longo and Bittner were the owners of the internet-famous pets named P’Nut, a squirrel, and its raccoon sidekick named Fred. On 30 October, police raided the couple’s Pine City animal sanctuary to enforce a ban on keeping wild pets.

One of the raiding agents was bitten by P’Nut, its sharp teeth penetrating the thick gloves of the officer.

Anti-rabies protocol prompted the decapitation of both the squirrel and raccoon to test if the animals had the disease.

The tests turned out negative for rabies, prompting the pet owners to sue the state’s Environmental Conservation and Health agencies as well as the local county for “senseless violence” and “obscene government abuse.”

The couple based their claims for damages on the emotional trauma and financial losses they suffered since losing their star squirrel which had become an internet celebrity, appearing in social media posts, OnlyFans content, cameos and other monetized media, according to their lawsuits.