United States v. Carl Torkelson (E.D. Wash.)

On April 8, 2022, the court entered a consent order in United States v. Carl Torkelson, et al. (E.D. Wash.).  The complaint, which was filed on January 28, 2022, alleges that the defendants discriminated on the basis of disability in violation of the Fair Housing Act by imposing an unreasonable set of restrictions on the complainant’s assistance animal and by making statements indicating a preference on the basis of disability.  Additional defendants named in the complaint include Candi Torkelson, Tina Bryant, and Torkelson Construction Inc.  The consent order requires the defendants to institute a new assistance animal policy and pay the complainant $6,000.  The case was referred to the Division after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received a complaint, conducted an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination.