Upper East Side Landlord Prevented Tenant From Keeping Service Dog: DOJ

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A partnership that owns an Upper East Side condo building was sued by the federal government Wednesday for allegedly violating the civil rights of one of its disabled tenants.

Gregory Reich, a tenant of a condo building on East 88th Street between Lexington and Park avenues, claimed that his landlords placed an undue burden on him when he requested permission to keep a service dog in his apartment, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Reich, who long suffered from kidney disease, was diagnosed with with end stage renal disease in March 2015, according to the U.S. Attorney. Reich's diagnosis led to a deterioration of his mental health and his ability to take care of himself, so he asked his building's landlord permission to keep a service dog.

That's when the building's landlords — an organization known as 111 East 88th Partners — started making demands of Reich. Those demands included copies of notes from Reich's therapist going back to May 2014, copies of Reich's medical history, subjecting Reich to an examination by a physician of the landlord's chosing and requiring Reich, his therapist and his physician to answer questions under oath relating to Reich's condition, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Reich filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Upon investigating the landlord's demands of Reich the federal agency ruled that landlords likely violated the Fair Housing Act. The landlord group elected to have the issue resolved in court, prompting the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Attorney's office.

"We have repeatedly filed lawsuits of this sort, and will continue to do so, until housing providers understand that the Fair Housing Act plainly allows tenants with disabilities to keep assistance animals," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.

Photo by Google Maps street view May 2016