January 24, 2008 – Marina Towers Condominium Association has denied a request by a resident for accommodation of a Pomeranian support dog that lived in the east tower for a year before being evicted. The dispute evolved into a lawsuit in 2006 that allegedly cost MTCA $27,000 to pursue and resulted in a judgement of approximately $5,000.

In a letter to Karlene Petitt dated January 24, MTCA attorney Pamela Park says the MTCA board of directors met in closed session on January 17 for “over an hour” to consider the request, then voted in open meeting. Park says the decision to deny the request was based on the board finding that Petitt “failed to provide adequate information, evidence or documentation to justify granting such an accommodation.”

Petitt is an airline pilot who lives in Seatec, Washington. Her daughter, diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, lives at Marina City. According to Karlene, the dog, named Biscuit (pictured at left), is a licensed support dog.

Park points out in the letter that the board had requested either Karlene or her daughter appear at the meeting to provide further information, an invitation that Karlene declined.

Petitt says she did not want to attend the meeting because the last time she did so, she was fined and billed for legal fees run up by MTCA attorney Ellis Levin.

“This is how…our two year and very expensive court process started,” Petitt says in a reply emailed to Park, “because of [Levin’s] fees for my attending the exact same meeting years prior, with the exact same request.”

A housing discrimination complaint against MTCA is still being examined by the Illinois Department of Human Rights. MTCA disputes the complaint, saying the Petitts failed to provide sufficient information to support their claim that Karlene’s daughter was disabled and entitled to accommodation under the Fair Housing Act.