LANDLORD ACCUSED OF BIAS IN SUPPORT DOG LAWSUIT

Concord, N.H. — A landlord has been accused of discriminating against a tenant by not allowing her to house an emotional support dog for her anxiety and depression, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a lawsuit.

The complaint filed Friday in New Hampshire accuses Massachusetts-based John J. Flatley and a property manager of violating the Fair Housing Act.

The tenant leased an apartment in Nashua owned by Flatley. She had used a St. Bernard for emotional support for several years. Some time after moving in, she asked permission to have the dog. The complaint says Flatley and the property manager indicated they would permit her to have an emotional support animal, but not a dog.

The tenant filed an administrative complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which determined there was reasonable cause to believe the federal act had been violated.