Opinion ID: 2827459
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Reasonable Modification

Text: Anderson contends that the ADA and its implementing regulations require the City to make a reasonable modification to its “policies, practices, and procedures” to permit her to keep Ellie at her residence. The ADA prohibits public entities from discriminating against individuals with disabilities, including by: fail[ing] to make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures, when such modifications are necessary to afford such goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations to individuals with disabilities, unless the entity can demonstrate that making such modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of such goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations. 42 U.S.C. § 12182(b)(2)(A)(ii). Regulations implementing the ADA require a public entity to make “reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures to permit the use of a miniature horse by an individual with a disability if the miniature horse has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of the individual with a disability,” provided that the horse and the requested modification also satisfy certain “[a]ssessment factors.” 28 C.F.R. § 35.136(i)(1)–(2). It is undisputed that C.A. is “an individual with a disability,” but the district court granted summary judgment to the City on Anderson’s ADA claim for a reasonable modification because it found that Ellie did not meet the ADA regulations’ requirements and because it found that the regulations’ “assessment factors” were not satisfied. On appeal, Anderson contends that there are disputed issues of fact material to both the ADA regulatory requirements for miniature horses and the related assessment factors that preclude summary judgment in favor of the City. a. ADA Regulatory Requirements for Miniature Horses The ADA regulations do not specify the amount or type of training that a miniature horse must undergo to qualify as a reasonable modification for a disabled individual, nor the amount or type of work or assistance that the horse must provide for his or her benefit. Courts have typically found that to qualify for a reasonable modification, an animal must be specially trained No. 14-3754 Anderson, et al. v. City of Blue Ash Page 14 to perform tasks directly related to a disability, contrasted with animals that have received only general training, provide only emotional support, or otherwise perform tasks not directly related to a disability. See, e.g., Lerma v. Cal. Exposition and State Fair Police, No. 2:12-CV-1363, 2014 WL 28810, at  (E.D. Cal. Jan. 2, 2014) (finding that a puppy was not a service animal because it only received obedience training and was used only to help the plaintiff “get through the day and feel better, a type of emotional support and comfort, which is exactly the type of aid specifically excluded as work or tasks under” ADA regulations); Rose v. Springfield-Greene Cnty. Health Dep’t, 668 F. Supp. 2d 1206, 1215 (W.D. Mo. 2009) (finding that a monkey was not a service animal because the tasks it performed did not “relate to [plaintiff’s] disability” and merely provided comfort to the plaintiff, whose disabilities did not require a monkey to perform day-to-day activities). On appeal, Anderson contends that her horse meets these requirements because she has individually trained Ellie to assist C.A. by steadying her as she walks so that she can enjoy independent recreation and exercise in her backyard. The City first contends that the horse does not qualify for a reasonable modification under the ADA and its implementing regulations because it does not help C.A. with her daily life activities (such as going to school), C.A. can walk without the horse, and the horse does not help C.A. inside the house. We are not persuaded by, nor do we find any authority to support, the proposition that an animal must be needed in all aspects of daily life or outside the house to qualify for a reasonable modification under the ADA. Many service animals are trained to provide specialized assistance that may be necessary only at certain times or places. See 28 C.F.R. § 35 app. A (discussing tasks commonly performed by service animals). For example, C.A. has a seizure-response dog that is specifically trained to assist her if she has a seizure while sleeping. This dog indisputably qualifies as a service animal despite the fact that it does not provide assistance to C.A. with any of her daily activities while she is awake or outside the house. Anderson has produced evidence that Ellie is trained to assist C.A. with beneficial exercise in her backyard, and she is no less qualified for a reasonable modification under the ADA simply because C.A. does not need her horse’s assistance for all of her daily activities or when traveling. No. 14-3754 Anderson, et al. v. City of Blue Ash Page 15 The City also contends that Ellie has not been “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of” C.A. because Anderson, the horse’s primary instructor, holds no certification in service-animal training. But the ADA regulations have no certification requirement. Rather, the ADA asks whether the horse has been instructed on how to perform a task that assists an individual with his or her disability, so the instructor’s lack of certification at best creates a factual dispute as to whether a horse’s training was adequate. Here, Anderson testified that Ellie is trained to assist C.A. to overcome her mobility limitations by steadying her as she walks and helping her stand after she falls, tasks specifically listed by the ADA regulations as examples of ways that miniature horses can assist the disabled. See 28 C.F.R. § 35 app. A. Construed in Anderson’s favor, this evidence satisfies the ADA regulations’ requirement that the miniature horse be “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of the individual with a disability.” 28 C.F.R. § 35.136(i)(1). b. Assessment Factors In addition to the requirement that miniature horses be trained to assist an individual with his or her disability, the ADA regulations also provide four “assessment factors” that “shall [be] consider[ed]” when determining “whether reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures can be made to allow a miniature horse into a specific facility”: (i) The type, size, and weight of the miniature horse and whether the facility can accommodate these features; (ii) Whether the handler has sufficient control of the miniature horse; (iii) Whether the miniature horse is housebroken; and (iv) Whether the miniature horse’s presence in a specific facility compromises legitimate safety requirements that are necessary for safe operation. 28 C.F.R. § 35.136(i)(2). The district court found that these factors weigh against Anderson, noting that her house is on a lot that is smaller than miniature horses typically require, that Ellie is not housebroken, and finding that health complaints lodged against Anderson over the past several years suggest that the horse’s presence would compromise the City’s “legitimate health and public safety concerns.” On appeal, Anderson contends that she has produced evidence that at least creates disputed issues of fact as to each of these factors. No. 14-3754 Anderson, et al. v. City of Blue Ash Page 16 With regard to the first factor, the City contends that Anderson’s residence is too small to accommodate her horse, pointing out that Anderson has admitted that her yard is significantly smaller than would be ideal for an average miniature horse. However, this factor calls for consideration of the “type, size, and weight” of the particular miniature horse at issue, not an average member of her species. See 28 C.F.R. § 35.136(i)(2)(i). Anderson has provided evidence that Ellie is uniquely suited for a smaller yard because her rear legs are deformed, thus reducing her need and ability to run. Furthermore, Anderson testified that her backyard includes a shed “of a size and dimension to accommodate three miniature horses comfortably, and thus houses Ellie very comfortably and keeps her safe from the elements.” (Anderson Aff., R. 10-2, PageID 692.) This evidence is sufficient to show a factual dispute regarding the first assessment factor. The City contends that the second and third factors weigh against Anderson and C.A. because they did not have sufficient control over Ellie, and that she was not housebroken. Anderson testified that she has sufficient control over her horse because she has trained Ellie to perform specific tasks for C.A. In response, the City offered a sworn account of an incident in which C.A. attempted to demonstrate how she works with Ellie but was not able to do so, fell, and was stepped over by the horse. Given the conflicting affidavits concerning the extent of Anderson and C.A.’s control over their horse, there is a genuine factual dispute over the second assessment factor that cannot be resolved on summary judgment. Regarding the third factor, Anderson concedes that Ellie is not housebroken. However, this does not automatically relieve the City from its obligation to make a reasonable modification because the assessment factors are not prerequisites for a reasonable modification, but are independent factors that shall be considered when evaluating whether a particular modification is reasonable for a particular animal. The City provides no reason why Ellie’s lack of control over producing waste indoors is relevant here, where the horse is never indoors and the requested accommodation is for the horse to assist C.A. and live outdoors in Anderson’s backyard. Finally, the City contends that the fourth factor weighs against Anderson. It points to multiple citizen complaints concerning unsanitary conditions related to a number of animals on Anderson’s property. The City concludes from those complaints that the “miniature horse’s No. 14-3754 Anderson, et al. v. City of Blue Ash Page 17 presence” at her house “compromises legitimate safety requirements” of the City’s health code. See 28 C.F.R. § 35.136(i)(2)(iv). Anderson responds that these complaints do not accurately reflect the condition of her residence and that she has now secured a service to regularly remove animal waste from her yard. Additionally, Anderson emphasizes that there are no complaints from her current neighbors, most whom have signed letters in support of her efforts to keep Ellie at her house. Anderson points out that those conditions complained of arose from the concurrent presence of multiple farm animals at her house, combined with her previous failure to clean up effectively after them. Indeed, she notes that some of the complaints the City cites concerned only dog waste and were made at times when no horses were present at Anderson’s house. Taken together, this evidence shows that there is a factual dispute over whether a single miniature horse at Anderson’s residence would threaten the City’s “legitimate safety requirements.” Anderson has produced evidence that it would be reasonable for her to keep Ellie at her residence and that all the requirements and assessment factors of the ADA regulations have been satisfied. The City has produced conflicting evidence, such as health complaints, and draws a different conclusion from the record, but weighing the City’s evidence against the plaintiffs’ is inappropriate on summary judgment. The Ninth Circuit has observed that the “determination of what constitutes reasonable modification is highly fact-specific, requiring case-by-case inquiry.” Lentini v. Cal. Ctr. for the Arts, Escondido, 370 F.3d 837, 844 (9th Cir. 2004) (internal quotation marks omitted). Viewing all facts and drawing all reasonable inferences in Anderson’s favor, and given the “highly fact-specific” nature of the reasonableness inquiry, we conclude that there are disputed issues of material fact as to the reasonableness of Anderson’s requested modification. Because we find that disputed issues of fact preclude summary judgment in favor of the City on Anderson’s ADA claim for a reasonable modification to keep Ellie at her house, we reverse the district court’s judgment on that claim.