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Attorney general files suit against Phoenix bar over service animal dispute

Posted at 4:24 PM, Oct 28, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-28 19:24:00-04

PHOENIX — The Arizona Attorney General's office has filed a civil complaint against a Phoenix sports bar, alleging its owners discriminated against a disabled patron who wanted to enter the establishment with his service dog, but the bar's owner calls the suit "frivolous."

The civil complaint was filed Oct. 25 in Maricopa County Superior Court against Obrigis LLC, DBA O’Brien’s Sports Bar at 35th and Northern avenues.

According to the complaint, area resident Bill Larson, who has a brain injury that causes him to experience transient ischemic attacks, known as “mini-strokes,” owns an American Bulldog that is a service animal trained to detect the onset of such an attack and alert Larson. Under Arizona law, the owner or entity cannot discriminate against individuals with disabilities who use service animals, if those animals perform tasks directly related to the individual's disability

The complaint alleges that, on Jan. 16, 2018, Larson and his dog, Whopper, went to O'Brien's but was told he could not enter the bar with the dog.

For more on the lawsuit, click here for the full story from the Phoenix Business Journal.