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IKEA monkey's 'mom' ordered to pay $83,000 in legal costs

TORONTO, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- A Toronto lawyer who called herself the "mom" of a coat-and-diaper-clad monkey found wandering in an IKEA parking lot was hit with an $83,000 legal bill Friday.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Mary Vallee ordered Yasmin Nakhuda to pay the money to Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary, where Darwin the monkey now lives, and sanctuary owner Sherri Delaney, the Globe and Mail reported.

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"We're certainly pleased with the decision," the Toronto Star quoted Kevin Toyne, the lawyer who represented the sanctuary, as saying.

Nakhuda's lawyer, Ted Cahrney, declined to comment and Nakhuda could not be reached, the Star said.

The Ontario Court of Appeal is expected to hear Nakhuda's appeal seeking to regain custody of Darwin later this year, the Globe and Mail said.

Delaney said in a statement that Darwin is thriving at the sanctuary, the Star said.

"Over the next couple of months, we are looking forward to introducing him to our two newest macaque residents, Boo and Gerdie," she said.

Nakhuda had been Darwin's owner until he was seized by animal services after a video of his December 2012 promenade in the York IKEA parking lot became an Internet sensation.

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Nakhuda's attorney argued unsuccessfully that she should not have to cover the defendants' costs, in part because they leveled "improper" allegations against her in "an effort to destroy" her reputation. The defendants had

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