German vet loses appeal over death of Swarovski heir's horse

Published Jan. 9, 2020 5:00 a.m. ET

BERLIN (AP) — A German veterinarian has lost his appeal over the death of a champion dressage horse belonging to a member of the Swarovski family.

A Munich regional court on Thursday dismissed the vet's appeal against a lower court ruling last year ordering him to pay 250,000 euros ($278,000) to the owner of Donna Asana.

The mare was considered a hopeful for the London Olympics when it died in 2010 shortly after the vet injected it with homeopathic substances to treat a cold. The court ruled that the defendant had failed to properly inform owner Evelyn Haim-Swarovski about the risks of the treatment.

Austrian equestrian Haim-Swarovski had originally demanded 1.75 million euros for the horse's death.