A reality TV star has filed a lawsuit against Wyoming hunting agencies, claiming her rights were violated during an investigation into her alleged illegal hunt.
Melanie Myrtle Peterson, a 57-year-old Texas resident, sued the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, alleging a violation of her right to privacy.
The agency, along with the Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides, filed a motion on Dec. 18 asking the district court to dismiss Peterson's “baseless” lawsuit.
The lawsuit also challenges several state officials who filed a separate motion to dismiss, alleging that Peterson sent court summonses to their employers instead of them.
Peterson won the 2018 edition of “Extreme Huntress,” a reality show that features female hunters competing in skills challenges.
Melanie Myrtle Peterson, 57, has sued the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, accusing her of violating her right to privacy during an investigation
An investigation was launched into Peterson's alleged use of illegal hunting methods in 2021
Under the supervision of the 57-year-old 'guide', two men allegedly poached a black bear and an antelope
The 57-year-old was charged in August 2021 and pleaded guilty to 19 charges stemming from alleged hunting violations that lasted nearly a decade.
Peterson has pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor charges. Three of the pleas were Alford pleas, which do not involve an admission of guilt but an acknowledgment that the state had sufficient evidence to convict her.
The huntress's former clients, Brandon Dailey and Craig Carter, are said to have poached a black bear and an antelope respectively under her watch.
If Peterson had not pleaded guilty, these men could have testified against her.
Peterson's complaint calls her “one of the most respected female hunters” in the industry, adding, “She has often been called upon to use her influence and her large social media following to combat issues affecting hunting and threatened the right to bear arms.”
Her lawsuit alleges that Wyoming game and fish officers showed up at her hunting lodge in 2019 to interview her.
Prior to the investigation, Peterson spoke with Wyoming Game and Fish Warden Adam Hymus about obtaining permits for hunting on private land.
Peterson competed in the reality show competition 'Extreme Huntress' and won in 2018
Peterson (pictured here with Donald Trump Jr.) “was often called upon to use her influence and large social media following to help combat issues that threatened hunting and the right to bear arms,” her complaint said.
Hymus allegedly said that he could deliver the forms the next day. That Sunday morning, Peterson woke up to find Hymus and game warden Dustin Kirsch at her door, the complaint said.
The 57-year-old claims she answered all their questions until officers “turned the interview into an interrogation” by calling her a liar and yelling at her.
The complaint alleges she was not allowed to use her phone or talk to her husband.
Her grandchildren were staying at the lodge at the time. They all “wondered why there were armed men in the house,” the complaint states.
After Peterson obtained search warrants, the 12-year-old children were reportedly questioned “to tears.”
Agents seized 11 electronic devices, the complaint said, some of which were returned several days later.
Peterson's hard drive was submitted to the Sublette County Attorney's Office on September 22, 2021.
After entering a confidentiality protection order to restrict the release of private information, the agency allegedly disclosed more than three terabytes of data, the complaint said.
The 57-year-old claims she was the victim of a surprise raid on her home and electronic devices by Fish and Game officers who “turned the interview into an interrogation,” questioning her grandchildren “to tears.”
Peterson claims that private information from her electronic devices was shared with people outside the investigation, causing a business deal to collapse
Wyoming Fish and Game, along with the Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides, asked the court to dismiss Peterson's lawsuit, calling it “baseless.”
Medical records and attorney-client communications were not redacted, the complaint said.
In addition, government employees are said to have shared sensitive information with people outside the scope of the order.
The complaint adds that the Sublette County Prosecutor's Office admitted that Peterson's Fourth Amendment rights were violated in May 2022.
The 57-year-old claims the case has also affected her business prospects.
Two members of the Wyoming State Board of Outfitters and Guides allegedly discussed the legal dispute at a dinner, causing an outfitter to refuse to buy Peterson's company, she claims.
Wyoming Game and Fish declined to comment on the pending litigation, per policy.