California woman suing state agencies because they won't recognize the existence of Bigfoot

A California woman who says she saw Bigfoot is suing the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the state's Natural Resources Agency for failing to keep citizens safe from the Sasquatch scourge.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports Claudia Ackley of Crestline filed the lawsuit in San Bernardino Superior Court on Jan. 18, spurred by her alleged encounter with multiple Sasquatches. Ackley, described as a "Bigfoot enthusiast and researcher," says she and her daughters saw three Sasquatches on a dusk hike at Lake Arrowhead last year.

"He looked like a neanderthal man with hair all over him," Ackley told the Press-Enterprise. "He had solid black eyes. He had no expression on his face at all. He did not show his teeth. He just stared at the three of us."

Park rangers reassured the Ackleys they'd seen a family of bears, an explanation Ackley didn't much care for. She says she filed the lawsuit because people are "totally vulnerable to these things" due to the state's failure to recognize the Bigfoot threat.

A still image of a purported Bigfoot from the San Francisco Chronicle archives. A still image of a purported Bigfoot from the San Francisco Chronicle archives. Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close California woman suing state agencies because they won't recognize the existence of Bigfoot 1 / 19 Back to Gallery

The Press-Enterprise story about Ackley describes the suit thusly:

"The lawsuit alleges the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the state Natural Resources Agency have been derelict in their duty by not acknowledging the existence of the Sasquatch species, despite a mountain of documented and scientific evidence. It has had a chilling effect on the study of the Sasquatch, considered illegitimate and relegated to the category of 'paranormal research.'"

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Unsurprisingly, a Fish and Wildlife spokesperson said the agency does not recognize Bigfoot as a species. Neither Fish and Wildlife nor the Natural Resources Agency can comment on the case due to pending litigation.

Ackley is being supported in her suit by Todd Standing, who avid Netflix viewers may recognize from his documentary "Discovering Bigfoot." Ackley is also a fairly well-known figure in the Bigfoot community; she's been researching for over 20 years and has reported multiple Squatch sightings.

The pair plan to present fingerprint and DNA evidence in the case, and they're really, really confident.

"If this goes to court, we will win, easily," Standing told the Press-Enterprise. "It's not a joke. The best wilderness experts in the world are coming out to testify. It's amazing."

People have reported seeing a Bigfoot, normally described as a tall bipedal ape, in nearly every state of the union, although it's most commonly sighted in the Pacific Northwest and California.

There is no scientific evidence that such a creature exists.