Bryant Woods Inn, Inc. v Howard County
November 22, 2025

Bryant Woods Inn, Inc., a group home for handicapped persons, seeks to expand from 8 residents to 15 residents.   When Howard County, Maryland, refused to waive its neutral zoning regulation to allow this expansion, Bryant Woods Inn sued the county, contending that it had violated the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq., by refusing to make a reasonable accommodation.   Because Bryant Woods Inn has not shown that its proposed expansion relates to the accommodation of disabled residents in seeking equality of housing opportunities, we affirm the district court’s summary judgment entered in favor of the county.

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4464

US District Court: Paying for online documentation not a bypass for supporting evidence of disability and need for a service dog
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November 22, 2025

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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4732

Landlord fined $15,000 after denying renter’s emotional support animal
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November 22, 2025

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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5155

HUD and DOJ challenge Facebook’s advertising platforms under the Fair Housing Act
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November 22, 2025

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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5301

Service dog company ‘bamboozled’ Virginia Tech student, judge says
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November 22, 2025

According to testimony and court filings, SDWR approached Tech students about volunteering as puppy raisers. In September 2017, Burch agreed to take a young service dog-in-training. Lesley would accompany Burch, a junior majoring in criminology, to classes and other public outings. Burch would bring the dog to training sessions SDWR held.

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4520

Berardelli Ex Rel. MB v. Allied Services Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine
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November 22, 2025

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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6141

Justice Department responds to Florida service animal complaint
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November 22, 2025

The Justice Department reached an agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with The Pawn Shop and Tax Service, Inc., (The Pawn Shop) in Pensacola, Florida to resolve a complaint under title III of the ADA. The Department’s investigation found that the manager of The Pawn Shop asked a veteran who uses a service dog to leave because the manager mistakenly believed the dog was a pet, not a service dog. Public accommodations must permit Individuals who use service dogs, including veterans with disabilities who use service dogs for disabilities such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or mobility disabilities, into their establishments.

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4719

Woman sues in US Court over emotional support animals
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November 22, 2025

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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8130

Bronk v. Ineichen
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November 22, 2025

Plaintiffs subsequently moved for judgment as a matter of law or for a new trial, and now challenge on appeal the district judge’s denial of these motions and certain of her evidentiary rulings.   While the record demonstrates ample evidence to support the determination of no liability, we are concerned that the tendered jury instructions may have confused jury members by unnecessarily conflating local, state, and federal law.   We therefore reverse and remand for a new trial.

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4400