Peg Ball has a disability, uses a wheelchair, and makes use of a trained service dog called Deniro. She contacted the FHC to report a property owner who said he would, under no circumstances, take a tenant with a dog. The FHC advised Ms. Ball to write a letter to the owner explaining that Deniro was a service animal and not a pet, which she did. The FHC also conducted an investigation, and our testing supported the claim of disability discrimination by confirming the “no service animal” policy.
FHC Cooperating Attorney Jonathan Weber filed the case in U.S. Federal District Court on behalf of Ms. Ball on March 16, 2012. The case was assigned to Judge George Carem Steeh. The property owner called the FHC after the suit was filed. He alleged that he didn’t understand what a service animal could do for a person using a wheelchair. “Does he do her taxes?” he asked. Ms. Ball’s case was settled in early March, 2013.