Justice Department Sues Attorney for Disability Discrimination

Author: U.S. Department of Justice
Published: 2009/11/04 - Updated: 2024/06/06
Publication Type: Announcement
Category Topic: Lawyers and Rights - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Lawsuit against attorney in Colorado Springs alleging he violated the ADA act by denying a woman with a service animal access to his offices. 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.

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...

Main Content

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."

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 at www.ada.gov

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

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.

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Cite This Page: U.S. Department of Justice. (2009, November 4 - Last revised: 2024, June 6). Justice Department Sues Attorney for Disability Discrimination. Disabled World (DW). Retrieved October 11, 2025 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/legal/attorney-disability-discrimination.php

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