PORTLAND (AP) — The custody battle over Snowball the deer has reached the Oregon Court of Appeals.

James Filipetti and Francesca Mantei of Molalla rescued Snowball in 2001, paying for surgeries to repair her deformed hind legs.

But state wildlife agents said the couple broke the law by taking the deer from the wild and keeping her without a permit. They seized Snowball, now at Wildlife Safari in Winston.

A judge ordered the state to return Snowball, but the state appealed.

Last week, the couple settled a defamation suit against the state, which didn’t pay damages but did sign an agreement that praised the couple for their compassion and said it regretted suggesting they broke the law.