Colorado Springs lawyer accused of violating ADA

The U.S. Justice Department has sued a Colorado Springs lawyer alleging that he discriminated against a woman by refusing to allow her Australian shepherd service dog into his law office.

But the lawyer, Patric J. LeHouillier counters that the suit is frivolous and contends the woman, Joan Murnane, is trying to retaliate for a professional malpractice lawsuit in which he represented someone who had sued her.

In a suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Denver, the U.S. Attorney’s office contends that LeHouillier violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by denying access to the woman, her husband and her attorney because of the dog.

The complaint says Murnane, a veterinarian, has a brain injury and uses an Australian shepherd dog to help with balance, vision and other tasks. It says Murnane was supposed to be deposed in LeHouillier's office in 2006, but LeHouillier allegedly wouldn't let the dog in because he feared it would soil his new carpet.

LeHoullier, however, said he sought to move the meeting to another location outside his office after she was unable to provide him with documentation showing that the shepherd was a certified service dog.

“Unfortunately, the U.S. Attorney’s office did not do anything to investigate other than to listen to Mrs. Murnane’s complaint,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story