Anderson
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – An attorney who took over a lawsuit against a State College bouncehouse business that feared a service dog would pop its attractions has been granted $27,000 in fees.
Collection of that money and plaintiff Christopher Taylor’s $25,000 could be complicated, given that KNB Inflatables Please has gone out of business. Judge Julia Munley nevertheless partially approved the fees request of lawyer Thomas Anderson, of Bordas & Bordas.
Anderson sought more than $50,000, but Munley carved that in about half in a Dec. 30 opinion. Andrew Carson was Taylor’s original lawyer, but he withdrew four months after suing in 2022.
Munley said the going rate for an attorney with Anderson’s experience in the Williamsport area should be $400 an hour, and many entries in Anderson’s worklog were dedicated to the ultimately failed claims made against State College.
“As for paring expenses related to successful and unsuccessful claims, the research provided to the court regarding service dogs and the (Americans with Disabilities Act) and the (Pennsylvania Human Rights Act) was relevant to a discussion of the successful motion for default judgment against KNB, although it was initially advanced to oppose the motion for summary judgment from the municipality,” Munley wrote.
“And although the depositions included police officers from State College Borough, these witnesses interacted with Taylor and their testimony was reviewed by the court in considering the plaintiff’s damages from KNB’s default. Consequently, all of counsel’s expenditures in this case will be awarded.”
Taylor, a Vietnam War veteran, suffers from joint disease that requires a service dog – a Labrador Retriever named Zeke. The dog helps him with balance and stability and retrieves items.
But when he and his family went to KNB, which was located at the Nittany Mall, staff told him he could not bring Zeke in. Insurance would not cover damage done by an animal, and other customers’ possible allergies were cited as a reason.
Taylor contacted police to explain he was disabled and needed the dog. An officer told him KNB had the right to refuse entry to any customer for any reason, the lawsuit says.
“Mr. Taylor chose not to press the issue, and he and his family left, humiliated,” the suit says. “His grandson, F.W., was very upset and crying.”
The suit added that the KNB employee smiled when police told Taylor he could not enter the bouncehouse with a dog. KNB went out of business and stopped responding to the plaintiff’s court filings, leading to a $25,000 default judgment.
