Lawyer's Dog Prohibited from Court Room Despite Her Handicap

Hempstead, NY-- A quadriplegic person is someone who's legs and/or arms suffer from paralysis. In this case, Jeanie Walters, an attorney, was going to a traffic court trial with her service dog, Elli. Once Jeanie Walters went to enter the courtroom, she was promptly stopped by a guard that said no dogs were allowed inside of the Hempstead courtroom.

Jeanie Walters, according to Newsday, said she suffered quadriplegia due to an incident where she was fixing a car in 1984. Now, in order to help her around the house and do regular chores, Jeanie Walters has a service dog named Elli. Other ways in which Elli helps Walters is by pulling her wheelchair, picking up loose items or items she accidentally drops, and carries Walters' briefcase as well. Also, if Walters were to fall, Elli would be there to help the fallen attorney up. Sadly, the guard(s) at the Hempstead courtroom didn't allow Elli, the dog, into the courtroom.

What was a regular day for an attorney now had turned into a civil suit, for herself. Jeanie Walters is now considering filing civil charges against the Hempstead court for not allowing her service dog Elli to enter, despite her handicap.

According to Newsday, the law states clearly:

"It's against state civil rights to deny anyone with a disability and their service dogs access to public areas." (Newsday)

Although the law clearly states that, the coutroom still did not allow Elli into the courtroom, unlawfully infringing on the Jeanie Walters' rights. The irony is that Jeanie Walters is an attorney, so why would the guards argue with a person so knowledgeable in the area of the law and criminal justice?

However, officials working at the traffic courtoom had this to say to Newsday in their own personal defense for the situation at hand:

"We strongly recommended that the dog stay in an area where there were less people. There was a full waiting room, and we thought the dog might feel confined or people might be afraid of it." (David Rich, the traffic court agency's chief deputy director to Newsday).

Was the agency in fact right in this situation? According to the agency, they strongly recommended, but did not essentially prohibit the dog from entering the courtoom, which would be unlawful. Jeanie Walters says otherwise, that her rights were infringed upon despite the clearly stated civil law against not allowing dogs to enter areas accessible to the general public.

Elli is a 9-year-old golden retriever whom has been working with Jeanie Walters for the past 7 years with every day tasks.

Questions/comments? E-mail me at chem1calburn@yahoo.com or simply message me via Associated Content.