Norwalk Inn Agrees To Permit Service Animals In ADA Settlement: Feds

NORWALK, CT — The U.S. Attorney's Office has reached a settlement agreement with the Norwalk Inn and Conference Center to resolve allegations that the facility was not operating in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, court officials announced this week.

In a news release Tuesday, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery said the settlement resolves an ADA complaint that accused the Norwalk Inn of requiring a service animal to be removed from the building as a condition of service in July 2023.

As a result of the settlement, the Norwalk Inn will post signs that indicate "service animals [are] welcome" at the inn, Avery said.

The inn will also implement, and train employees on, a service animal policy that includes the types of legally permissible inquiries Norwalk Inn employees can make of a customer who enters the building with a service animal, according to Avery.

Avery also noted the owners of the Norwalk Inn have worked cooperatively with the U.S. Attorney's Office to promptly address the ADA issues without litigation.

Under federal law, private entities that own or operate places of "public accommodation," including hotels and restaurants, are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability, Avery said.

"The ADA authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate complaints and undertake periodic reviews of compliance of covered entities," Avery said in a news release. "The Justice Department is also authorized to commence a civil lawsuit in federal court in any case that involves a pattern or practice of discrimination or that raises issues of general public importance, and to seek injunctive relief, monetary damages, and civil penalties."

Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov.

Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700.