Law Firm Settles Feds' Civil Rights Suit re Client's Service Dog; Will Pay $25K, Post Welcome Sign
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Without admitting wrongdoing, an upstate New York law firm has settled a civil rights lawsuit brought by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York over claimed discrimination against a disabled client.
Larkin Axelrod Ingrassia & Tetenbaum will pay $20,000 to the personal injury client, Lauren Klejmont, who said in her lawsuit that she was told on two separate occasions that her German shepherd service dog should not accompany her to meetings with the Orange County law firm’s attorneys, and an additional $5,000 civil penalty to the feds, Reuters reports.
The law firm will also implement a service animals policy and post a “Service Animals Welcome” sign to settle the Americans with Disabilities Act case.
A representative of the firm, as well as partner accused of telling Ingrassia to leave her dog outside because the lawyer had allergies, did not immediately respond to the news agency’s comment requests.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Feds Sue Personal Injury Law Firm, Say It Banned Disabled Client’s Service Dog From Its Offices”
ABAJournal.com: “Law Firm Says It Didn’t Ban Client’s Service Dog, Blames Partner Allergy, Worker Phobia for Issues”
