Posted on 09/13/2014 2:38:18 PM PDT by walford
PATERSON, NJ -- A disabled veteran was thrown out of a fast food restaurant because of his service dog.
The incident itself is troubling enough, but you won't believe what happened after the Eyewitness News investigators arrived at the restaurant to demand answers.
It's one of the most bizarre exchanges Eyewitness News has ever had on a story. Federal law is very clear: Dogs are recognized as service animals and all businesses open to the public, including restaurants, must allow them in.
But a U.S. Army veteran says a Subway restaurant in Paterson, New Jersey, blatantly ignored the law, and now, he's determined to send them a message in court.
Richard Hunter's troubled life turned around in July when the U.S. Army veteran received a service dog from the non-profit group Dogs4Warriors. The 50-year-old suffers from severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
"He realizes I'm having anxiety before I do," Richard Hunter said.
*video*
So, it was a big deal when Hunter finally took his son and a coworker to lunch a few weeks ago at a Subway restaurant in Paterson, New Jersey.
"This was huge to go out with my son for the first time in over ten years," Hunter said.
The sign on the door seemingly said it all: "Service animals are welcome," but Hunter claims the manager, later identified as Mitul Ahmed, said something very different.
"I may have been holding the door when he first said something. He said, 'The dog is not allowed in here. Get the dog out of here,'" Hunter said.
"He was clearly identified as a service animal," Eyewitness News Investigative Reporter Sarah Wallace said.
"He was wearing what he has on right now," Hunter said. "I said he was a service animal."
"He didn't care," Wallace said.
"That's exactly what he said, 'I don't care,'" Hunter said.
Hunter called the cops who said they couldn't do anything. He then called the owner.
"The owner told me straight up: 'I can refuse service to anyone I want,'" Hunter said.
That's when Hunter reached out to disability rights attorney Robert Tandy.
"No food establishment can refuse entry to a service animal," Tandy said.
"Plain and simple," Wallace said.
"Simple as that," Tandy said.
When Eyewitness News found the manager, Mitul Ahmed, behind the counter he denied everything.
"You're not Mitul Ahmed," Wallace said.
"No, he's not here," Ahmed said.
Oh, and that sign on the door, suddenly changed. The line about service animals welcome was removed.
The owner's son arrived, with a foot-long list of excuses.
"If he's not going to say he made a mistake, that's fine too, because I'm going to be the better person, you know, we both messed up, all right, we messed up more," said Zaphir Pathan, the Subway owner's son.
"How did he mess up by having a service dog and wanting to go into the store, I don't understand that?" Wallace said.
"You're completely twisting the situation, that's funny," Pathan said.
"If I go into that Subway with a service dog, will I be allowed in?" Wallace asked.
"You can go in right now because now we know," he said.
*video*
Now, Guess what? Ahmed is still working and still in denial.
"You weren't here," Wallace said.
"No," Ahmed said.
"So, you're ok having him work for you when he lied?" Wallace asked.
"Who doesn't lie when they don't want their case thrown under the water?" Pathan said.
"OK, my goodness," Wallace said.
"I was just looking for an apology. I was just looking for an apology that you're wrong," Hunter said. "Now, I'm afraid to go out. I'm having anxiety even to go to the corner store now."
Now that we have been divided into the various tribes, it’s disgraceful the way the people in this country are treating one another. There’s a lot of hate out there. Thanks Barry!!! We’ve really gone downhill since 09-12-2001.
Ahmed don’t like dogs. At least dogs are better beings than muslim stinkers.
Is there a reason this business hasn’t burned to the ground ??
Sounds like he got a good ADA attorney. My bet is that this idiot Subway owner is going to end up writing a very fat check, after which Subway may just terminate his franchise.
Yes. That would permit the owner to declare bankruptcy and probably prevent any recovery by the veteran.
No, once the ADA claim is worked through...
Apparently (based on the surnames) it’s an Afghan-owned Subway franchise.
It’s not surprising that a muzzie would kick out a veteran with or without a service animal, and muzzies don’t like dogs inside buildings or near food.
“Ahmed don’t like dogs.”
Muzzies don’t generally like dogs. except for herding purposes.
“Angels will not enter a house in which a dog is kept. It was said by the Prophet (——), “Whoever keeps a dog, a portion of his good deeds will be deducted every day, except a dog for farming or herding livestock”
Mitul Ahmed - the name says it all.
Get a vicious attack lawyer and sue his *ss off.
He should have claimed that the dog was gay, then they would have had to let it in.
By the names, I would say they are muzzies who don’t like dogs. But what about ham and bacon in those places.... Hmmmmm???
“service dogs” aren’t what they used to be. Like everything else people are gaming the system. My father’s friend had her house cat declared a service animal so she could fly with it. Yeah, on the first flight, it went insane. Yep. If you knew her she would admit the farce, but if a waitress or someone in a restaurant said anything she would go nuts and scream about her “needs.”
She’s dead now. The lady, that is. God knows where that cat went.
I saw a chiuaua (sp) in walmart last week sitting in the child seat of a cart.
It had an orange vest on that read.... You guessed it: service dog. It was shaking.
Nothing against this man. Just alerting my peeps.
Frankly, having a dog in a restaurant would bother me lot less than having to look at some slob in flip-flops, dirty feet, rolls of fat hanging out and a bunch of tats.
But that’s just me.
“Is there a reason this business hasn’t burned to the ground ??”
I was wishing for it...But I’ll go by the legal route..
http://www.subway.com/ContactUs/frmCustomerService.aspx
Subway.com “contact us”
Frankly, having a dog in a restaurant would bother me lot less than having to look at some slob in flip-flops, dirty feet, rolls of fat hanging out and a bunch of tats.
But that’s just me.
***Mitul Ahmed,***
Moslems hate dogs. Dogs can sense the evil in the moslem.
Mussies hate dogs.
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