Justice Dept. Sues Attorney for Disability Discrimination
Author: U.S. Department of Justice
Published: 2009/11/04 - Updated: 2026/05/14
Publication Type: Announcement
Category Topic: Laws and Rights - Related Publications
Contents: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates
Synopsis: This report is a US Department of Justice announcement of a federal lawsuit filed in Denver against Patric LeHouillier, a Colorado Springs attorney, alleging violations of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act after he denied office access to a woman, her husband, and her attorney because she was accompanied by her service animal, an Australian Shepherd trained to provide disability-related assistance. The article includes a statement from Thomas E. Perez, then Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, reiterating that the ADA has prohibited discrimination against service dog users for nearly 20 years, and outlines how Title III applies to private entities such as lawyers, doctors, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, and retail stores, while Title II covers state and local governments and public transportation providers. It also describes the range of tasks service animals perform - including guide work for blind users, sound alerts for deaf or hard of hearing individuals, seizure warnings, psychiatric support, and mobility assistance - making it a useful reference for people with disabilities, service animal handlers, business owners, and legal professionals seeking clarity on ADA service animal obligations - Disabled World (DW).
- Topic Definition: ADA Service Animal Access
ADA service animal access is the right of an individual with a disability, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, to be accompanied by a trained service animal in places of public accommodation and in facilities operated by state and local governments. Title III of the ADA covers privately operated public-facing entities such as law offices, medical practices, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, retail stores, and private transportation providers, while Title II covers state and local government services, programs, and public transit, and both titles require these entities to modify any no-pets policy to allow service animals that are individually trained to perform work or tasks for a person with a disability. Qualifying tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf to sounds, warning of impending seizures or other medical events, assisting with psychiatric disabilities, and performing mobility-related tasks such as retrieving items, opening doors, providing physical support, or pulling a wheelchair.
Introduction
The United States has filed a lawsuit against Patric LeHouillier, an attorney based in Colorado Springs, Colo., alleging that he violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by denying a woman with a service animal access to his offices, the Justice Department announced. The complaint, filed today in federal court in Denver, alleges that the attorney denied access to a woman, her husband and her attorney because the woman was accompanied by her service animal, an Australian Shepherd dog trained to provide disability-related assistance.
"The Americans with Disabilities Act ensures that individuals with disabilities are guaranteed the same rights and access granted to everyone, and it has prohibited discrimination against individuals who use service dogs for almost 20 years," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "The Justice Department is committed to enforcing the ADA to protect the rights of persons with disabilities and to ensuring that all services providers understand their obligation to provide equal access."
Main Content
A service animal is individually trained to work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Service animals - most commonly dogs - perform a wide variety of functions. Examples of these functions include guiding persons who are blind or have low vision; alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to sounds; warning persons about impending seizures or other medical conditions; performing a variety of tasks for persons with psychiatric disabilities and picking up items, opening doors, flipping switches, providing physical support and pulling wheelchairs for individuals with mobility disabilities.
Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination by lawyers, doctors, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, retail stores, private transportation providers and other private businesses and nonprofit organizations that provide services to the public. Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination by public entities, including state and local governments and public transportation providers. All of these entities are prohibited from excluding individuals with disabilities from their facilities, services and programs because they use service animals. If any of these entities has a rule excluding pets or other animals, it must make an exception to that rule and permit an individual with a disability to be accompanied by a service animal.
Americans with Disabilities Act ADA
More information about the lawsuit, the ADA and ADA rights and responsibilities relating to service animals is available on the ADA home page.
This information includes two publications specifically addressing service animal access:
ADA Business Brief: Service Animals
Commonly Asked Questions About Service Animals in Places of Business.
Those interested in obtaining copies of these documents or additional information can call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA Information Line (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TTY).
Questions and answers on Laws and Rules Regarding Service Animals in Places of Business
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: Enforcement actions like this one underscore that the ADA's service animal protections apply to every public-facing professional office, including law firms whose own work may involve representing disabled clients. For handlers of guide dogs, hearing dogs, seizure-alert dogs, psychiatric service dogs, and mobility assistance dogs, knowing that the Department of Justice will bring cases against private practitioners - not just large businesses - can make a real difference when seeking legal, medical, or other services without being turned away at the door - Disabled World (DW).Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by U.S. Department of Justice and published on 2009/11/04, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.