The New York Court of Appeals on Thursday rejected a justification defense brought on by the Legal Aid Society on behalf of a man who struck a small dog with a broken broomstick, blinding her in an eye and fracturing her cheekbone, in a dispute over $20 with the pet owner's relative.

The high court unanimously affirmed a mid-level appeals court's reinstatement of an indictment against defendant Luis Jimenez on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals, injuring an animal and criminal mischief.