[Flagdu] McDonalds

[Peter]

McDonald's Corp. Sued For Discrimination Against Blind Customers Using Guide Dogs
A blind woman who uses a guide dog, and her fiancée, filed a federal civil rights
complaint today in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, including class action
allegations that McDonald's Corp. fails to adequately train employees regarding the
rights of people with disabilities using service animals. The lawsuit was filed by
the law firm Knauf Associates of Santa Monica.
Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) March 01, 2012
Today in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, a blind woman who uses a guide dog,
and her fiancée, filed a federal civil rights complaint against McDonald's Corp.
including class action allegations on behalf of people with disabilities who use
guide and service dogs, alleging that McDonald's has unlawfully discriminated against
guide dog users and does not adequately train its employees regarding applicable
laws. The lawsuit was filed by the law firm Knauf Associates of Santa Monica, California.
The complaint references news stories nationwide of McDonald's restaurants allegedly
excluding people who use guide and service dogs from McDonald's restaurants, and
seeks damages and an injunction requiring McDonald's Restaurants of California and
McDonald's Corp. to improve written policies and procedures and employee training,
as well as unspecified monetary damages.
The complaint alleges that the plaintiff, Cyrena Thomas of Los Angeles, and her fiancée,
Larry Givens, attempted to dine at a McDonald's restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard
in Los Angeles, with Thomas' guide dog, Suzie Q, and the couple's infant son. Restaurant
employees, including a manager, requested that Thomas remove the dog from the restaurant
and allegedly threatened not to serve them unless they did so.
According to the lawsuit, Thomas and Givens explained that Thomas is blind and uses
a guide dog, but the McDonald's employees nevertheless insisted the dog remain outside
the restaurant. Thomas then left the restaurant upset and Givens attempted to educate
the McDonald's employees to no avail. Thomas and Givens ultimately ate at a nearby
restaurant with the guide dog without incident.
"This case is unusual because of the high level of ignorance of the employees - what
they did patently violates federal and state law, and it indicates a complete lack
of training by the owner of the restaurant, which in this case is McDonald's Corp.
itself - it is not a franchised location," said Christopher Knauf, the plaintiffs'
attorney.
"Due to the number of media reports of similar instances nationwide, it appears that
McDonald's does an inadequate job of training its employees on this issue, which
is a very important one for the thousands of people with disabilities nationwide
who use service animals in order to live independent lives," Knauf added.
The complaint, brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the California
Blind and Disabled Persons Act, among other statutes, also seeks unspecified monetary,
including punitive damages. Under one statute, the plaintiffs can each receive up
to three times the damages found by a jury, with a minimum fine of $4,000.
Knauf Associates is a private public interest law firm specializing in disability
rights and special education law. Michael Waterstone, Esq., a disability rights expert,
is co-counsel on the case.
U.S. District Court case number: CV12-01763 SVW(MANx)
# # #
Contact Information
Christopher Knauf
ck at goodlaw.biz
goodlaw.biz
310-663-6236
Christopher Knauf
Knauf Associates
goodlaw.biz
310-663-6236
Source:
http://www.prweb.com/printer/9245403.htm

Jenine Stanley
Consumer Relations Coordinator
Guide Dog Foundation(R) and America's VetDogs (R) the Veterans K-9 Corps (R) 
Providing Second Sight since 1946
371 E. Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown, NY 11787
Office: 631-930-9000, 
Toll-free: 866-282-8047 
Fax 631-930-9009
jenine at guidedog.org 

To make a donation that can change a life... contact the Guide Dog Foundation(R) at www.guidedog.org or America's VetDogs (R) the Veterans K-9 Corps (R) at www.vetdogs.org

Visit us on facebook at:
www.facebook.com/GuideDogFoundation or www.facebook.com/AmericasVetDogs

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