Another Non-Pet "Therapy" Pooch Sinks Sharp Teeth Into Landlord, Savoring $90K Bite In Disability Discrimination Case For Alleged Violation Of NYC Human Rights Law

In Brooklyn, New York, the New York Post reports:

• A little Shih Tzu has caused a $90,000 shih-storm.
  
  A Brooklyn family that faced eviction after violating their building’s no-dog policy can keep the pup — and their pad — after convincing an administrative judge it was a therapy dog to treat depression, city documents show.
  
  The judge recommended that the city’s Human Rights Commission wallop the building’s management firm, Prestige Management, with a $90,000 fine for trying to evict the family without seeking to confirm the legitimacy of their therapeutic claim. Doing so was a violation of the Human Rights law protecting the disabled, Judge Faye Lewis said.
  
  The victory for Carol T., her daughter Cinnamon and their Shih Tzu named Swag came even though the pup was initially sneaked into their apartment hidden inside a baby carriage.
  
  “Providers of housing accommodations are required to give good-faith consideration to a tenant’s request to keep a pet as a companion or emotional support animal, even if the tenant gets the pet first and asks permission later,” Lewis ruled last week.
  
  Reps for Prestige Management pointed out the lack of any documentation of Cinnamon’s prior treatment history and a five-year gap in her mom’s therapy sessions.

Source: Building owners hit with $90K fine for banning therapy dog.

Go here for earlier posts on the protections given to those needing companion/emotional support animals in connection with their housing needs.