A California woman has filed a petition in California court on behalf of Todd Standing to have Bigfoot officially recognized as a species.

The lawsuit, filed by Bigfoot researcher Claudia Ackley, alleges that Bigfoot is a real species that deserves protection, that denial of the creature's existence has impacted the research and livelihood of those who study it, and that a failure to acknowledge the species has created a serious public safety risk.

Standing released a video to his YouTube channel on Tuesday to announce the case's introduction.

"My colleagues and I have brought lawsuits, litigation, court cases to Canada and the United States; specifically to British Columbia, the province in Canada, and the state of California," Standing said.

Standing claimed to have captured "significant" evidence during a visit to California, which, in addition to the contents of Discovering Bigfoot, will be used in the lawsuit; although he first plans to release the evidence as a sequel to the 2017 documentary.

"While I was there [in California] I went on an expedition, and actually was able to get some footage of a Sasquatch, some evidence of a Sasquatch," he said. "There is a significant amount of footage, from tracks to an altercation to a Sasquatch actually getting, grabbing an apple--and the whole thing was captured on video."

"There's a great deal of footage," Standing continued. "I'm going to save most of it for Discovering Bigfoot part two."

Standing entreated help from those watching the video, specifically in the areas of fund raising and legal help; citing difficulties in obtaining legal counsel, and claiming that he and his colleagues have spent $20,000 of their own money to fund their research.

"Most lawyers see it as damaging to their practice," he said.

Despite the difficulties, Standing appeared optimistic.

"It's a very exciting time for me," said Standing.

The petition's hearing is scheduled for March 19th, 2018, in San Bernadino County's Superior Court.

A full transcript of the court documents was transcribed to the social media network Reddit, and can be found here.

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