Phoenix bar accused of turning away man with service dog for brain injury

PHOENIX – The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has filed a civil complaint against a Phoenix bar that allegedly turned away a man with a brain injury because of his service dog.

Friday’s filing accuses O’Brien’s Sports Bar of violating Bill Larson’s rights as guaranteed by Arizonans with Disabilities Act.

“Under Arizona law, all Arizonans have the right to full and equal enjoyment of places of public accommodation,” Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a press release.

“Disabled individuals who require the use of a service animal cannot be excluded, denied services, segregated or otherwise treated differently than other individuals because of their need for reasonable accommodations.”

Larson, an Air Force Reserve veteran, suffers from transient ischemic attacks, also called ministrokes, according to the release. His American bulldog Whopper is trained to detect the onset of an attack so Larson can prepare for the symptoms and ensure his safety.

When Larson went to the bar in January 2018, a bartender and the owner told him he couldn’t bring Whopper in, even after he explained the dog was a service animal, according to the release.

The complaint requests that O’Brien’s be ordered to evaluate its compliance with the Arizonans with Disabilities Act and train its employees about disability discrimination.

The state also wants to monitor O’Brien’s for compliance.

The complaint was filed in Maricopa County Superior Court by the Civil Rights Division of the Brnovich’s Office.

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