A Florida man who was cleared of cat-mutilation charges last year has filed suit against Miami-Dade county claiming he was falsely accused.

In April 2009, police charged 18-year-old Tyler Weinman with felony animal cruelty after receiving an anonymous tip that he was responsible for mutilating 19 cats that were found across South Miami-Dade county.

The charges were eventually dropped in November 2010 after forensic evidence revealed that the cats were actually killed and mutilated by a dog.

Weinman filed a lawsuit against the county, its officials, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the University of Florida, which hired a forensic veterinarian to investigate the case.

Weinman is seeking over $15,000 in damages, claiming he was "villified in the media" and "became a pariah" as a result of the charges.