Before getting started on the blog entry of the day, congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers for clinching their division. I still have three teams in the hunt. Atlanta looks like they will win the division, but you never know. The Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox are still fighting
Guidances
HUD’s AI Bot Take on Emotional Support Animals and Service Animals: It’s A Mess
As I have covered previously, here, it’s a bit of the wild west as to the way forward when it comes to emotional support animals. HUD still doesn’t have anything, but if you plug in assistance animals into the search engine on their website, you get what appears as discussed below. The search engine is…
Thoughts on How Housing Providers Might Move Forward After HUD’s Internal Memorandum
Before getting started on the blog entry for the week, a couple of housekeeping matters in order. First, you can now, if you so desire, listen to my blog instead of reading it even if you are not using a screen reader. I know many people would rather have what they see read to them…
Failure to Utilize Internal Reasonable Accommodation Policy Just Might Torpedo a Failure to Accommodate Claim
This week’s blog entry focuses on an unpublished decision, Woodie v. Motorola Solutions, Inc. from the Sixth Circuit decided on March 10, 2025, here. The case highlights the importance of a person with a disability intentionally not pursuing any internal processes for requesting an accommodation. There is well reasoned dissent as well. As usual,…
Leave for Training a Service Animal is a Reasonable Accommodation and the Latest from HUD on Emotional Support Animals in Housing
I did mention in my last blog entry that I might not be posting this week. Turns out, I had some time over the Memorial Day weekend to do a post, so here goes. I do hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend.
The blog entry for the week is a two for one…
The Rapidly Evolving World of Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals in Housing
I hope everyone had a happy Easter and had or is having a good Passover.
Also, congratulations to UCLA on their women’s Division I basketball national championship and to Michigan on their men’s Division I basketball national championship.
This week’s blog entry dives into the rapidly evolving world of emotional support animals and…
Attorneys Representing Federal Employees With Disabilities Need to Prepare for a Lot More Business
Before getting started on the blog entry of the week, an update on the Beaumont Hospital case that we have blogged on twice before. See this blog entry. The update is a consent decree was signed requiring training and a $30,000 payment to the plaintiff. It also has a length of 18 months. I…
Motion to Dismiss Denial of a Service Animal Goes Down in Flames
The Society of Human Resources Management is not the only employer facing litigation for denying a service animal. On January 13, 2026, the Flaming Gorge Resort saw its motion to dismiss with respect to its denial of a service animal for an employee go down in flames (pun intended). The case is O’Connor v. Colett’s…
Religious Freedom and Remote Work ADA Implications and the Latest With HUD and Animals in Housing
Today’s blog entry is a two for one. First, we explore some stunning developments in the area of housing and animals when it comes to persons with disabilities. Second, we explore a memorandum opinion from DOJ to the acting chair of the EEOC when it comes to remote work as an accommodation for religious liberty…
Landlords Can Charge a Fee for ESA’s/Pets and the Impact of Loper Bright
This week’s blog entry come to me courtesy of Clinical Law Prof. Emeritus Leonard Sandler of the University of Iowa Law School. It asks the question of whether a landlord can charge a pet deposit for an ESA (emotional support animal). Loper Bright also comes up as well. The case of the day is Henderson…