Celebrity News June 02, 2020
'Tiger King' Plot Twist: Carole Baskin Now Owns Joe Exotic’s Zoo
Joe Exotic's nemesis Carole Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue, just scored a big win in court: She is now the owner of the Tiger King's Oklahoma zoo.
TMZ reports that Carole won a $1-million judgment against Joe, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, and his mother several years ago over a trademark lawsuit.
Baskin was never paid, and now a judge has granted Carole the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park property.
Fans of “Tiger King” may recall that Exotic transferred the zoo to his mother and Jeff Lowe, but the judge has declared the transaction fraudulent.
Lowe now has 120 days to vacate the premises, which he had recently re-opened under the name Tiger King Park.
Jeff and his wife Lauren were already preparing to move locations, telling TMZ, "We have long anticipated that the judge would eventually undo the 2016 land transfer. We are thankful that he dragged out his decision this long and allowed us time to complete the new Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma, behind the World's largest casino."
The Netflix series “Tiger King” followed Joe and Carole's feud, which ended with Exotic going to prison for 22 years for several charges, including hiring a hitman to kill Baskin.