Fair Housing Act

HUD asks FTC to investigate websites selling assistance animal documentation

Cases, Civil Rights, Emotional Support Animals (ESA), Fair Housing Act, Fair Housing Act, Government, Medical Assistance Animals, Pets, Service Dogs (SD), Stop Disability Fraud

January 1, 2020

Recently, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson wrote to Chairman of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Joseph J. Simons and Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection Andrew Smith requesting that the FTC investigate certain websites that may be selling assistance animal documentation.

“These certificates are not an acceptable substitute for authentic documentation provided by medical professionals when appropriate,” said Secretary Carson. “These websites that sell assistance animal certificates are often also misleading by implying that they are affiliated with the federal government. Nothing could be further from the truth. Their goal is to convince individuals with disabilities that they need to spend hundreds of dollars on worthless documentation to keep their assistance animal in their homes.”

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andrew smith, chairman, consumer protection, Department of Housing and Urban Development, director, documenations, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, HUD, joseph simons, lois greisman, marketing practices, misleading, Secretary, unneccessday, unreliable, websites

People Are Taking Emotional Support Animals Everywhere. States Are Cracking Down.

Air Carrier Access Act, Air Carrier Access Act, Cases, Civil Rights, Emotional Support Animals (ESA), Fair Housing Act, Fair Housing Act, Local, Medical Assistance Animals, Pets, Service Dogs (SD), Stop Disability Fraud, Therapy Animals

August 21, 2019

More Americans are saying they need a variety of animals — dogs, ducks, even insects — for their mental health. But critics say many are really just pets that do not merit special status.
The vast majority of emotional support animals are dogs, but some Americans turn to a wide variety of other species. Wally the alligator was approved by his owner’s doctor in York, Pa., as an alternative to taking medication for depression.

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alligator, amanda gill, California, disability independence group, farah stockman, Florida, florida apartment association, for-profit company, jesse calfas, matthew dietz, mental health, national service animal registry, new york times, Oklahoma, online therapists, ophelia, Pennsylvania, phony certifications, primadonna, sam killebrew, sara pratt, starbucks, stuffed baboon, tammy townley, tampa, todd weiler, Utah, vayne myers, Virginia, wally, work

Landlord to pay $1M in emotional support animal lawsuit

Cases, Emotional Support Animals (ESA), End Disability Discrimination, Fair Housing Act, Medical Assistance Animals, News

June 5, 2019

MEEKER, Colo. – Residents with disabilities using the Meeker Housing Authority won a discrimination lawsuit for $1 million. The suit was filed after their landlord told them their emotional support animals would not be allowed without paying an additional pet fee.

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additional pet fee, aj white, antonio white, cat, cbs denver, Colorado, dog, laura wolf, lawsuit, lonnie white, low income families, meeker, meeker housing authority, megan mcfadden, mental health disability, pet fee, rathod mohamedbhai law firm, shawn chitnis, therapist

Dog Days in Dorms

Cases, Civil Rights, Emotional Support Animals (ESA), Fair Housing Act, Fair Housing Act, Media, Medical Assistance Animals, News, Pets, Stop Disability Fraud

May 26, 2019

Colleges see sharp increase in students who want emotional support animals to live with them. Administrators worry those students may not have a real need but want their pets as companions.

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504 compliance, administrators, bearded dragons, bunny, courtney cioffredi, dorm, ferrets, guinea pig, inside higher ed, jeremy bauer wolf, kearney, kitten, l scott lissner, Lua Hancock, Meredyth Goodwin, misinformation, new yorker, Ohio State University, peacock, physical disability, psychological disability, skepticism, snakes, turkey, university, university of nebraska, verifiication, Washington State University

US District Court: Paying for online documentation not a bypass for supporting evidence of disability and need for a service dog

Cases, Fair Housing Act, Medical Assistance Animals, Pets, Service Dogs (SD), Stop Disability Fraud

December 6, 2018

The ADA Registry service is not a certification process, and the only requirement to obtain a service dog identification card is a $55 payment. As a result of Plaintiff’s failure to provide supporting evidence of his disability and need for a service dog, Defendants advised Plaintiff that his request for reasonable accommodation could not be granted..

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disability fraud, Florida, puppy, rottweilers, Sand and Sea Homeowners Association, service animal fraud, service dog identification card, supporting evidence, Thomas Fitzsimmons, United States District Court

Landlord fined $15,000 after denying renter’s emotional support animal

Cases, Civil Rights, Education, Emotional Support Animals (ESA), End Disability Discrimination, Fair Housing Act, Fair Housing Act, Housing, Medical Assistance Animals, News, Reasonable Accommodation

November 20, 2018

A New York landlord has been slapped with a $15,000 fine to settle a discrimination case involving a mentally ill tenant and her emotional support animal, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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Anna Maria Farias, apartment complex, Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, Inman, landlord, New York, Nicolas Tessari, Nolo Contendere LLC, Nolo Contendere LLC Trust

HUD and DOJ challenge Facebook’s advertising platforms under the Fair Housing Act

Cases, Civil Rights, Fair Housing Act, Fair Housing Act, Government, Housing

September 21, 2018

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has filed an administrative complaint against Facebook alleging discriminatory advertising in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA). HUD alleges that housing advertisers can use Facebook’s advertising tools and algorithms to exclude applicants based on protected categories such as race, sex, or national origin.

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advertising, Department of Housing and Urban Development, discriminate, DOJ, Facebook, FHA, HUD, National Fair Housing Alliance, New York, New York City Human Rights Law, NFHA, protected classes, Southern District

Berardelli Ex Rel. MB v. Allied Services Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine

Americans with Disabilities Act Title III, Cases, Civil Rights, Fair Housing Act, Medical Assistance Animals, Rehab Act, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Service Dogs (SD)

August 22, 2018

As a matter of first impression, despite the absence of a regulation specifically interpreting the RA’s mandate of “reasonable accommodations,” the RA generally requires that individuals with disabilities be permitted to be accompanied by their service animals, consistent with the mandate of “reasonable modifications” under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Such requested accommodations are per se reasonable.

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Allied Services Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Appellants, daughter, Joseph Berardelli, meaningful access, minor, Pennsylvania, reasonable accommodation, reasonable modification, reasonableness, schools, The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, Third Circuit, Traci Berardelli, United States Court of Appeals

Woman sues in US Court over emotional support animals

Cases, Fair Housing Act

July 7, 2018

MADISON — A town of Ixonia woman has taken her fight to federal court to keep the emotional support miniature goats and geese on her property that the town and Jefferson County said violates zoning ordinances.

The lawsuit Sara Manzke filed alleged the town and county have violated the Fair Housing Act which requires reasonable accommodations be made for individuals with physical disabilities.

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geese, Ixonia, Jefferson County, Madison, miniature goats, Sara Manzke, Watertown Daily Times, Wisconsin, zoning ordiances

Bronk v. Ineichen