Law School Sued For Service-Dog Snub

An Iowa appeals court gave a former Drake University law student the go-ahead to sue the school for trying to prevent her from attending classes with a service-dog that she was training. The student sued in 2011, saying the attempts to keep the dog out violate state law, which allows service and therapy animals into places that are typically not pet-friendly. Drake argued that the remedy should be a misdemeanor citation rather than a civil suit, and a Polk County District Court dismissed the lawsuit. But in its recent decision, the state’s appeals court said the misdemeanor maximum penalty of $625 was unlikely to be a deterrent to the school, and therefore the civil case could proceed.