[Cagdu] FW: [nagdu] Woman sues for 10M for being deniedsubwayrides with dog

Thu Jan 8 13:48:10 PST 2009

Hey Ken- 
I don't anything about this woman and her situation. I just passed on the
article. 
Tina 
-----Original Message-----
From: cagdu-bounces at nfbcal.org [mailto:cagdu-bounces at nfbcal.org] On Behalf
Of Ken Volonte
Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 1:34 PM
To: cagdu at nfbcal.org
Subject: Re: [Cagdu] FW: [nagdu] Woman sues for 10M for being
deniedsubwayrides with dog

Ms. Stam brought this on herself by her own words.  This is not about
service dogs.  This is about money and attention.  If Ms. Stam's primary
disability is her impaired hearing, then she needs a signal dog, and that
dog doesn't need to be so intrusive as to get bumped off a subway.  If Ms. 
Stam's primary disability is PTSD, then she needs to get treatment for that
and get on with life.  What is Wargas trained to do?  How was he trained? 
Is Ms. Stam able to control him as we control our guide dogs, or is this
just another comfort dog who bites and barks and is obnoxious generally? 
I'm just asking is all.  I'd sure hate to be that elderly woman with cancer
who gets attacked and killed because Wonderdog mistook her for a wolf.  I
gotta go.
----- Original Message -----
From: "tina thomas " <tinadt at sbcglobal.net>
To: <cagdu at nfbcal.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 6:06 PM
Subject: [Cagdu] FW: [nagdu] Woman sues for 10M for being denied subwayrides
with dog

> Subject: [nagdu] Woman sues for 10M for being denied subway rides with 
> dog
>
> Woman sues for 10M for being denied subway rides with dog
>
> BY JOHN MARZULLI
>
> DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
>
>
>
> Sunday, January 4th 2009, 4:54 AM
>
>
>
> Estelle Stamm rides No. 5 train with her giant dog, Wargas. The 
> Manhattan woman has been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder.
>
> DeCrescenzo for News
>
>
>
> Estelle Stamm rides No. 5 train with her giant dog, Wargas. The 
> Manhattan woman has been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder.
>
>
>
> A woman who claims her 120-pound dog is protection from childhood 
> memories of sex abuse is in a big-bucks battle with
>
> NYC Transit
>
> over whether the animal can ride the rails.
>
>
>
> Estelle Stamm
>
> , 65, won $10,000 from the city after two cops gave her a ticket for 
> bringing the pony-sized dog into a subway station.
>
>
>
> Now she's going for $10 million in a federal suit that argues Wargas, 
> her service dog, is protected under the Americans With Disabilities Act.
>
>
>
> "These sons of bitches don't like to be told what to do," Stamm told 
> the Daily News as she waited for a federal judge to decide whether the 
> suit should
>
> be tossed.
>
>
>
> "I don't have a choice. I need my dog. And they [NYC Transit] don't 
> have a choice, either. They have to follow the law."
>
>
>
> Transit lawyers have recently taken the position that Stamm - who has 
> been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder and has partial 
> hearing loss - is
>
> not really disabled.
>
>
>
> Their legal papers draw on 8,000 pages of Stamm's Internet postings, 
> in which she suggests Wargas' breed - livestock guardian dog - is
dangerous.
>
>
>
> "Livestock guard dogs in the subways is a wonderful sight to behold. 
> The seas of people part before us," the former ad agency manager 
> boasted in a
> 1998
>
> posting.
>
>
>
> In other postings, Stamm discussed dog-on-dog attacks involving her 
> previous service dog, Mishka, a Caucasian Ovcharka that died of cancer 
> last month.
>
>
>
> She described livestock dogs as genetically wired with "tremendous 
> killing power" and said Mishka could be aggressive toward elderly 
> cancer patients because
>
> "she can smell death, and she doesn't want it near her."
>
>
>
> Stamm, who lives near Union Square, sued the city in federal court in
> 2007 and got a $10,000 settlement in July. Her suit against NYC 
> Transit has been kicking
>
> around since 2004.
>
>
>
> It contends her civil rights were violated by transit workers who 
> tried to toss her and the dogs from public transportation.
>
>
>
> In 2000, a bus driver shut down on First Ave. and told the other 
> passengers they had Stamm to thank for the delay, she alleges.
>
>
>
> The announcement prompted an irate passenger to bark at her, "If I'm late
> for work, I'll find you and kill your ... ass!" The driver was later
> disciplined.
>
>
>
> Stamm said her stress disorder causes extreme fear of danger, severe
> depression and confusion. The dog keeps her "in the present," warns her of
> sirens and
>
> horns, and provides a large, furry barrier in crowded places, she said.
>
>
>
> She carries an ID card for the dog issued by NYC Transit and is required
> only to inform employees what kind of service he provides.
>
>
>
> Being questioned about her disability - which she says is prohibited by
> transit regulations - has triggered stress reactions, her complaint says.
>
>
>
> In addition to money damages, Stamm is seeking employee retraining.
>
>
>
> "This is an easy fix, so their hostility mystifies me," Stamm said.
> "Wargas is not in the slightest bit dangerous. This is such B.S. It's 
> meant
> to intimidate
>
> me."
>
>
>
> NYC Transit's position is that Stamm's suit has no merit because she has
> been inconvenienced only a handful of times and was never denied access to

> a
> bus
>
> or subway.
>
>
>
> Craig Borne, Esq.
>
> Equal Opportunity Specialist
>
> Disability Program Manager
>
>
>
> National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
>
> Office of Civil Rights
>
> 1200 New Jersey Avenue, Southeast
>
> Suite W43-321
>
> Washington, DC 20590
>
>
>
> Office : (202) 493-0627
>
> Fax: (202) 493-2990
>
> Email: craig.borne at dot.gov <mailto:craig.borne at dot.gov>
>
>
>
> The information contained in this communication (including any
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> not
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