A disabled veteran from Bellefonte has filed a federal lawsuit claiming a local business refused entry told him and his family they could not enter with his service dog.
Christopher Taylor alleges K n B’s Inflatables Please and State College Borough violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The borough is named in the lawsuit for allegedly failing to train a State College police officer who responded to the incident on the rights of citizens with disabilities.
On Feb. 13, the 70-year-old Taylor, his wife, daughter, son-in-law and grandchild purchased admission to the family recreation center in the Nittany Mall, attorney Andrew Carson wrote. Shortly after they entered, an employee allegedly “confronted” Taylor about his service dog, a yellow lab named Zeke.
The employee allegedly said he had to leave because the business’s insurance does not cover dogs on the premises and that other customers might be allergic to the animal.
Taylor is an Army combat veteran of the Vietnam War and has degenerative joint disease, according to the lawsuit, which also states the Department of Veteran Affairs determined he has a “100% service-connected disability.”
He says he tried to explain the dog was his service animal and show documentation, but the employee threatened to call the police if he did not leave.
Taylor left the business, approached a mall security officer and asked that police be contacted about the situation, Carson wrote.
When the officer arrived, Taylor says he tried to explain he was disabled and required the assistance of a service dog. The officer, who is not a defendant in the lawsuit, allegedly told him there was nothing to discuss, that a business could deny entry for any reason and that if he tried to enter the business again he would be arrested for trespassing.
Taylor did not press the issue further and he and his family left “humiliated,” Carson wrote.
A spokesperson said the borough could not comment on pending litigation. K n B’s owners did not respond to messages on Wednesday morning.
Carson wrote that the business discriminated against Taylor in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He was denied equal access to services and facilities and the business failed to make reasonable modifications to accommodate individuals with disabilities, according to the lawsuit.
The police officer, Carson wrote, “essentially acted as an extension of K n B’s Inflatables in refusing Mr. Taylor’s access to the business under threat of arrest.” The borough has “clearly failed to train its officers on the rights of citizens under the Americans with Disabilities Act…,” according to the lawsuit.
Taylor is seeking unspecified monetary damages, an order requiring the business to adopt a nondiscrimination policy that includes accommodations for individuals with service animals and an order requiring the business to provide training to employees about policies related to the provision of services for individuals with disabilities.
The lawsuit also seeks monetary damages from the borough and an order to implement training on policies related to individuals with disabilities for all personnel who work with the public.
