TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa Bay pain management clinic has agreed to pay $115,000 to settle allegations that it discriminated against a disabled veteran with a service animal, federal prosecutors said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced Wednesday that it reached a settlement agreement with APC, Inc., a pain management clinic with locations in Tampa and Brandon.
Federal prosecutors said the clinic violated the Americans with Disabilities Act after refusing to allow a disabled U.S. military veteran to attend a post-hospitalization medical appointment at its Brandon office with his service animal.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the veteran uses the service animal for non-violent protection, rescue work and assistance during seizures and episodes of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Prosecutors said APC cited a “no pets policy” and said its office was a “sterile environment.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the denial caused the veteran to experience a PTSD episode, followed by repeated seizures during the car ride home and over the next several days. Prosecutors said he also abruptly discontinued medication that an APC physician had prescribed while he was hospitalized.
“Service animals are not pets—they provide critical assistance for individuals with disabilities,” U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe said in a statement. “Many of our nation’s military veterans use service animals to assist them with service-connected disabilities.”
Under the settlement, APC must pay $100,000 to compensate the veteran and his wife, prosecutors said.
The clinic must also pay a $15,000 civil penalty to the United States.
Federal officials said APC must adopt and enforce service animal and non-discrimination policies, post those policies in its reception areas and on its website, train employees on ADA requirements, and post “Service Animals Welcome” signs at public entrances.
For the next two years, APC must also report any disability discrimination complaints it receives to the federal government.
Title III of the ADA prohibits public accommodations, including health care providers’ offices, from discriminating against people with disabilities.
People who believe they experienced discrimination can contact the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida at 813-274-6095 or USAFLM.Civil.Rights@usdoj.gov.
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