A former Nittany Mall business was ordered on Friday to pay $25,000 to a disabled Vietnam veteran for denying entry to his service dog in 2022.
Christopher C. Taylor, of Spring Township, was awarded the default judgment in his suit against K n B’s Inflatables by U.S. Middle District Judge Julia Munley.
Munley wrote in a memorandum accompanying the judgment that Taylor suffered humiliation and embarrassment when K n B’s violated the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and Americans with Disabilities Act on Feb. 13, 2022.
Taylor, a U.S. Army combat veteran, has a service-connected disability, including post-traumatic stress disorder, and a degenerative joint disease. His Labrador retriever, Zeke, is a service animal that assists him with physical tasks and provides calming support.
When Taylor arrived to join his wife, daughter and son-in-law for his 5-year-old grandson to play at the indoor recreation center, a representative of K n B’s told him that Zeke was not permitted to enter because the business wasn’t insured for dogs on the premises and because other patrons might be allergic, according to court documents. Taylor explained that Zeke was a service animal and attempted to show his supporting documentation, but the representative threatened to call police if Taylor did not leave.
After Taylor approached mall security and asked that police be called for assistance, a State College police officer arrived and told him that she could not force the business to allow him to enter. Body camera footage showed that during the 14-minute interaction, which ended cordially, about 40 onlookers passed by, some clearly attempting to listen to the conversation.
The officer told Taylor that if a person refuses to leave a business it is considered trespass, but that he had “every right to file a complaint against them.” She also said that his complaint about being denied entry was a civil matter, not a criminal one.
State College Borough and the police department were initially named as defendants but were dismissed from the case earlier this year.
Taylor testified that while he interacted with the police officer, K n B’s representatives “were laughing at him and making fun of him,” according to court documents.
“Consequently, a family-centered positive experience… turned into a negative experience because KNB denied Taylor and his service dog access to the facility,” Munley wrote. “The… testimony and evidence demonstrates that Taylor experienced humiliation and embarrassment after being excluded from KNB’s business.”
Taylor was awarded default judgment after K n B’s, which has closed, did not participate in the litigation since 2022. The company did not hire any attorney or respond to an amended complaint in 2023, and mailings sent to all of its associated addresses were returned undeliverable, Munley wrote.
