No lawsuit against Jayell Ranch Family Adventure Park in Sevierville, Tennessee has been reported in available records. What the “Jayell Ranch lawsuit” phrase usually refers to is the August 2023 Tennessee Department of Agriculture investigation into horse neglect allegations raised by former employees, together with owner Wyatt Bunch’s earlier felony tax evasion case. No criminal animal cruelty charges resulted from the 2023 investigation, and the ranch remains open.
What Former Employees Alleged
In early August 2023, more than a dozen former Jayell Ranch employees brought photographs and firsthand accounts to WVLT News. The images, also circulated on social media, showed horses with bones visible through their skin and open wounds.1WVLT. Sevierville Horse Ranch Under Investigation by State
Savannah Holt, a former trail guide who worked at the ranch from 2020 to 2021, alleged that horses routinely worked 12-hour days, went without proper hoof care, and were forced onto gravel without shoes while their hooves cracked and splintered.2WATE. Investigation Underway Into Sevierville Ranch Involving Photos of Horses Another former guide, Christa Johnson, said staff had to “physically argue with the owner to get horses help that they needed.”1WVLT. Sevierville Horse Ranch Under Investigation by State
Lala Smith, hired as barn manager in May 2023, resigned less than three months later. She told WVLT that on her second day most of the horses were in condition poor enough to warrant euthanasia, and one of the worst-off horses died the following day. Smith alleged that Bunch directed her to pull lame and underweight horses out of a back area and put them to work during tourist season.3WVLT. Former Barn Manager Describes Experience at Jayell Ranch
Former guides who had left in 2021 protested outside the property with signs listing the names of at least 40 horses they said had died on the farm. They alleged Bunch refused to allow overnight care for horses suffering from colic, telling staff that if the animals were dead by morning, “then oh well.” Former trail guide Matthew Rigsby said he quit after witnessing Bunch beat a horse with a lead rope.4WVLT. Jayell Ranch Employees Slapped With NDA, Walk Out
The State Investigation
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture opened a formal investigation and inspectors visited the ranch on August 1, 2023, returning on August 4 with Sevier County Animal Control and a University of Tennessee veterinarian.4WVLT. Jayell Ranch Employees Slapped With NDA, Walk Out
Complaints against the ranch were not new. Sevier County Animal Control confirmed it had been called to the property multiple times since Jayell Ranch opened in 2011, but those visits never produced evidence sufficient to file charges. Officials cited two recurring obstacles: many complaints came from tourists who reported problems days or weeks after leaving the area, and veterinary evaluations during earlier visits suggested some injuries could have resulted from horse-on-horse interactions rather than handler abuse.5WVLT. Animal Control Called Out to Jayell Ranch Multiple Times for Complaints
No public announcement of the Department of Agriculture’s final findings has surfaced in available reporting, and no criminal animal cruelty charges were filed against the ranch, Bunch, or any employees as a result of the 2023 investigation.
The NDA and Employee Walkout
On the morning of August 4, 2023, while investigators were on-site, Bunch and general manager Amber handed employees a non-disclosure agreement. Workers were told they would lose their jobs if they refused to sign.4WVLT. Jayell Ranch Employees Slapped With NDA, Walk Out
Several refused and walked off. Zip line guide Brennan Trevathan said he arrived at 8 a.m., was handed the NDA around 9 a.m., and walked out with coworkers shortly after. Trevathan said he asked Bunch whether he was worried about the investigation, and Bunch replied that “nothing was going to come of it.”4WVLT. Jayell Ranch Employees Slapped With NDA, Walk Out
What the Ranch Said
Jayell Ranch’s formal statement said it upholds “appropriate standards of care, including visits by veterinarians” and maintains a “zero tolerance policy against animal mistreatment.”1WVLT. Sevierville Horse Ranch Under Investigation by State Management called the circulated photographs “misleading,” saying they showed a small fraction of the herd and depicted elderly animals showing natural signs of aging, newly arrived rescue horses undergoing rehabilitation, or animals with scars from old injuries.2WATE. Investigation Underway Into Sevierville Ranch Involving Photos of Horses The ranch said it expected the state investigation to confirm the animals’ well-being and that “any allegations brought forth publicly will be deemed false and unsubstantiated.”
Owner Wyatt Bunch’s Tax Evasion Case
The animal welfare controversy was not the first time owner Wyatt Wrege Bunch faced legal scrutiny. On January 3, 2019, a Sevier County grand jury indicted him on 50 felony counts, including one Class A felony count of theft over $250,000, 48 Class E felony counts of failing to remit collected sales tax, and one Class E felony count of tax evasion. The charges alleged Bunch collected sales taxes from customers but kept the money rather than sending it to the state.6Tennessee Department of Revenue. Sevier County Businessman Arrested for Theft, Failing to Remit Collected Sales Tax and Tax Evasion
On July 18, 2022, Bunch pleaded guilty to five felony counts of tax evasion under a plea agreement resolving the 50-count indictment. He was sentenced to six years of supervised probation and ordered to pay criminal restitution, court costs, and civil restitution to the Tennessee Department of Revenue.7WATE. Sevier County Businessman Sentenced on Tax Evasion Charges
Where Things Stand Now
Jayell Ranch Family Adventure Park remains open. Its website advertises daily operations, and the business continues to describe itself as home to one of the largest herds of horses in the eastern United States.8Jayell Ranch. Jayell Ranch Blog No civil lawsuit tied to the 2023 allegations appears in available reporting, and no formal enforcement action from the state investigation has been publicly announced.