Westborn Markets and the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan reached an agreement on Monday after an employee allegedly mistreated a customer with a service animal.
According to a U.S. Attorney’s press release, a man with a disability reported on the civil rights hotline that an employee at the Plymouth store requested written evidence that his dog was a service animal and was told to leave the store when he was walking refused.
An investigation followed which found that Westborn Markets was not conducting service animal training, according to a press release.
In the comparison, the market agreed to carry out service animal training for employees at all locations within thirty days of signing the contract for three years. The Westborn Markets CEO was not immediately available for comment.
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In this situation, stores are only allowed to ask two questions: is the animal needed because of a disability and what work or tasks can the animal perform? Requiring proof or documentation from the companion is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“People with disabilities who use service animals should not suffer from invasive issues or have written records for their dogs to do grocery shopping or other daily activities,” Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Saima Mohsin, said in the press release.
For more information about the Americans with Disabilities Act, call the Department of Justice’s ADA toll-free information number at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY), or visit www.ada.gov.
Contact Minnah Arshad: [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @minnaharshad.
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