Landlord To Pay $1M In Emotional Support Animals Lawsuit

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Residents with disabilities using the Meeker Housing Authority won a discrimination lawsuit for $1 million. The suit was filed after their landlord told them their emotional support animals would not be allowed without paying an additional pet fee.

“I read the pet policy, I saw some of the statements in it, and I said this pet policy is not fair,” Lonnie White said over the phone to CBS4.

His son A.J. suffers from depression but his health has made significant progress with the help of cats in their home. The responsibility of taking care of a pet alone has given new meaning to his life.

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But the Meeker Housing Authority expected him to pay a pet fee of $300 per cat when their rent was only $125 a month. It was an expense they could not afford and tried to avoid with proof from a therapist of the need to have the cats, White told CBS4 over a video phone call on Tuesday.

“Like most depressed people, when they’re depressed, they don’t want to do anything, just getting out of bed is hard,” he said of his son. “It was evident immediately to me the importance of having the animals.”

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“This is a case that’s really important to spread the word that individuals with disabilities, even disabilities we can’t see, we can’t pinpoint, we don’t know what they are until they disclose them to us,” she said. “That those individuals still are disabled and we have to treat them with the respect and dignity that they deserve.”

White also said it is essential for others to understand the role these animals play in their lives. For his son, it was the reason to get out of bed every day when his depression kept him from living his life each day.

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