There are a lot of people in this country who claim to believe in the existence of Bigfoot. But one California woman believes so strongly in the beast that she’s actually filed a lawsuit to prove it.

Last March, Claudia Ackley of Crestline, California, was hiking with her two daughters through the woods near Lake Arrowhead in San Bernardino Country, when she claims a Sasquatch came into view. The creature, according to Ackley, was about 30 feet up in a tree, looked like it weighed about 800 pounds, and had a head about three times the size of a person’s. “He looked like a neanderthal man with hair all over him,” Ackley told the Riverside 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.”

Ackley’s daughter recorded the alleged encounter on her phone, though the video, which you can view here, is inconclusive. Ackley’s daughter also reported seeing two other Sasquatches run away as the family approached.

When Ackley reported the encounter, however, forest rangers told Ackley it was just a bear; so, Ackley teamed up with professional Bigfoot hunter Todd Standing, who is best known as the director of the documentary Discovering Bigfoot. Although Standing claims he was initially skeptical of the story because California Sasquatches are largely restricted to the state’s northern wilderness, he was convinced the encounter was real when he saw the video taken by Ackley’s daughter.

Ackley is a self-proclaimed Bigfoot enthusiast and researcher of more than 20 years, though it is not clear if she knew Standing before the alleged incident. Standing is, however, a controversial figure among other Bigfoot researchers, who claim he mixes legitimate research with fake evidence.

Now, Ackley has filed suit against the State of California to force it to recognize the existence of the Sasquatches. The lawsuit alleges that the state’s actions have damaged her reputation and endangered the public. Ackley’s suit follows one filed by Standing in November against British Columbia, in which he alleged “dereliction of duty pertaining to the interests of an indigenous wildlife species.” Both lawsuits followed a promise by Standing last year that he would be taking legal action in both Canada and the United States to force them to recognize the existence of Sasquatches.

Ackley’s case is currently scheduled for a status hearing on March 19. She intends to introduce evidence to prove the existence of Sasquatches, including testimony from Idaho State University professor of anatomy and anthropology Jeff Meldrum, who was featured in Discovering Bigfoot.

Images: Universal Pictures

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