Posted on 03/13/2013 10:39:25 AM PDT by JoeProBono
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.,- A Michigan university settled a lawsuit filed by a student who was barred from keeping her guinea pig, a service animal, in her dorm room.
Grand Valley State University agreed to pay $40,000 to be divided by Kendra Velzen, the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan and the plaintiffs' attorney nearly a year after the suit was filed in March 2012, WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, Mich., reported Tuesday.
The lawsuit said Velzen was denied a service animal exception to the housing rule in the "pet free" Calder Residents dorm, despite having a letter outlining her need for a support animal from her medical provider. Velzen has a heart condition that requires the use of a pace-maker and takes medication for severe depression, the lawsuit said.
GVSU said in denying the request that the Americans With Disabilities Act does not list a guinea pig as a trained service animal.
The school agreed to pay the settlement amount as well as allow Velzen to bring her guinea pig or a similar animal if she chooses to live on campus in the future.
In a related story, a class action lawsuit was brought up against Richard Gere by the Gerbils of America.
If it was a seeing eye dog or some other real service animal, I would agree 100% with the plaintiff, but this is a joke. Unless there is something I cannot even imagine at work here, what we have is a spoiled little brat who got a doctor to write a silly note claiming that the rodent is a service animal. Does the rodent run in a little wheel to recharge the pacemaker? Does the funny looking rat give her the medication when she is too depressed to take it on her own? Or is this just something she wanted so Mommy paid a quack doctor to write a note? If she wants a pet, she should find a pet-friendly apartment. Otherwise she should follow the dorm rules.
Kinda reminds me of an old joke:
Two old friends met in the park while out walking their dogs. It was around lunchtime, so one says, “We should go get some lunch and catch up on all the news.”
The other says, “I don’t think the restaurants will let us take our dogs in.””
The first one says, “Just follow my lead.”
They get to the restaurant and start to enter when the hostess stops them and says, “We don’t allow animals in here!”
The first man says, “I am legally blind and this is my guide dog!”
The hostess looks at the dog, a German Shepard, and profusely apologizes for herself and the restaurant and lets the man enter.
The second man comes up and says, “I’m legally blind as well and this is my guide dog.”
The hostess says, “Your guide dog is a Chihuahua?”
The second mans replies, “Is THAT what they gave me????”.............
She and her father conspired with a doctor to excuse her from normal classes due to "allergies", so that she could still be enrolled in her high school but take courses from paid tutors in her home for every available AP exam.
So she became, I believe, valedictorian and also claimed to be disabled.
Her father also gave her the money to "found" a charitable trust to pad her high school resume: "A disabled genius who still found the time to start a charity!"
I hope some other student brings a “service” pit bull who devours the stupid guinea pig in one bite. Sheesh. There is no longer any place where pets are prohibited, since the ADA lets anyone get around the restriction. We live in a “no pets” high-rise condo, but still have “comfort” dogs and cats — none of them serving the traditional purposes of a service animal (i.e., for the blind, or to warn of seizures, etc.) — all here because of a doctor’s Rx that the person needs the animal for comfort. I’m waiting for the first person who needs a comfort pony.
i’ve been seeing more and more of this “life-necessary comfort animal” nonsense. Somedays I really think we’ve gone way too far as a culture...to a nation of sissies and crybabies.
What will happen when Hannibal wants to take his comfort elephant along on an international flight?
Ben Lyrics
Michael Jackson
Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With my friend to call my own I’ll never be alone
And you my friend will see, you’ve got a friend in me
Ben, you’re always running here and there
You feel you’re not wanted anywhere
If you ever look behind and don’t like what you find
There’s something you should know, you’ve got a place to go
I used to say, “I”, And “Me”
Now it’s “Us”, Now it’s “We”
Ben, most people would turn you away
I don’t listen to a word they say
They don’t see you as I do I wish they would try to
I’m sure they’d think again if they had a friend like Ben
Like Ben, like Ben
[ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/ben-lyrics-michael-jackson.html ]
And the 40,000 doesn’t hurt either.
He’ll have to buy an extra seat or 40. I like the idea of having a TSA do a full search of it.
Head first!!! LOL.
I had a guinea pig suit once, but someone spilled something on the jacket.
A cautionary tale of bureaucratic idiocy at its finest.
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