Opinion ID: 2827459
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Reasonability

Text: The “crux of a reasonable-accommodation . . . claim typically will be [the third ‘operative element,’] the question of reasonableness.” Hollis, 760 F.3d at 541. To determine the reasonableness of the requested modification, the burden that the requested modification would impose on the defendant (and perhaps on persons or interests whom the defendant represents) must be weighed against the benefits that would accrue to the plaintiff. This is a highly fact-specific inquiry. A modification should be deemed reasonable if it imposes no fundamental alteration in the nature of a program or undue financial and administrative burdens. Id. at 541–42 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). The district court held that the accommodation was unreasonable, reiterating its finding that C.A. did not need therapy at her house because she could obtain it elsewhere, and also finding that permitting a horse in a residential neighborhood would “fundamentally alter the nature of the [City’s] zoning scheme.” On appeal, the plaintiffs contend that there were disputed issues of fact as to the reasonability of their requested accommodation that precluded summary judgment to the City based on their evidence that C.A. would benefit from therapy with a horse at her house and that permitting the horse to live at Anderson’s residence would not threaten public health or otherwise fundamentally alter the zoning scheme. The City responds that Anderson’s requested accommodation is unreasonable and would fundamentally alter its zoning scheme because the City’s legitimate interests in the health, aesthetics, and property values of its residential neighborhoods are effectuated through enforcement of its zoning codes. The City further contends that these interests may be threatened by the presence of a horse on Anderson’s property, pointing to the health complaints concerning Ellie, and that the City’s interests must be balanced against the benefit that the accommodation would afford to C.A. Factual disputes pervade the question of the accommodation’s reasonableness and the “highly fact-specific” balancing of the City’s interests against the plaintiffs’ that it requires, precluding summary judgment for the City. First, the City questions the extent to which C.A.’s benefit from therapy with a horse would be diminished if she obtains this therapy at a local farm or stable, but the letter from Dr. Levin creates a factual dispute over whether C.A. could benefit from such therapy after traveling from her house, and this dispute cannot be resolved on No. 14-3754 Anderson, et al. v. City of Blue Ash Page 27 summary judgment. While the City’s interests in public health, sanitation, and residential property values are clear, Anderson disputes the extent to which her requested accommodation would interfere with those interests, pointing to letters of support from her neighbors and the fact that she has secured a cleaning service to prevent the presence of a horse from creating unsanitary conditions at her house. Similarly, while C.A. has a clear interest in having the assistance of a miniature horse at her house, the City disputes the extent of the inconvenience imposed on her by not having the horse in her backyard, pointing to the fact that C.A. can walk without the horse. Likewise disputed is the City’s contention that permitting the horse to remain at Anderson’s house would fundamentally alter the nature of its zoning scheme. While protecting public health and property values are central to the City’s interests, Anderson has produced evidence that the presence of one miniature horse at her house will not create unsanitary conditions or devalue her neighbors’ property, supported not only by her own testimony but by signed letters of support from her current neighbors. She also testified that she has retained a service to clean up animal waste, and ensure that unsanitary conditions will not reappear. As for the district court’s assertion that, because Anderson lives in a residential area, “[a]llowing farm animals, such as miniature horses . . . in these areas fundamentally alters the zoning scheme,” we have long since rejected the notion that making an exception to a zoning scheme to permit something that would normally be forbidden automatically amounts to a fundamental alteration. See Smith & Lee Assocs., 102 F.3d at 796 (“We are not convinced that an additional three residents will fundamentally alter the nature of single-family neighborhoods.”). Requiring public entities to make exceptions to their rules and zoning policies is exactly what the FHAA does. The fact that the City banned horses from residential property does not mean that any modification permitting a horse necessarily amounts to a fundamental alteration. We conclude that there are genuine disputes of material fact as to whether Anderson’s requested accommodation is reasonable and necessary to afford her and C.A. an equal opportunity to use and enjoy their dwelling, and so we reverse the district court’s grant of summary judgment to the City on the plaintiffs’ FHAA reasonable-accommodation claim. No. 14-3754 Anderson, et al. v. City of Blue Ash Page 28