Federal Court Enters Consent Order Allowing Emotional Support Animal for MHB Client

On December 1, 2020, Federal Magistrate Judge Mary Alice Theiler entered an agreed injunction and Consent Order in a federal court case that alleged that the owners and managers of an apartment complex in Auburn, WA violated the Fair Housing Act when they refused to allow a family with an autistic child to keep an emotional support dog that had been prescribed by the child’s physician as part of his treatment plan. The Court Order authorizes the family to obtain the dog, requires the landlord to adopt policies to reasonably accommodate tenants with disabilities and mandates that the landlord and staff be training in Fair Housing laws by the Fair Housing Center of Washington. In addition, the landlord was required to pay Forty-five thousand dollars ($45,000.00) in damages and attorney’s fees to the family. The Consent Decree in Yuzyuk et al -v- Our Place Manor LLP and T & S Development LLP W.D. WA No. 2:20-cv-1315-MAT can be accessed here.