Maine Human Rights Commission finds reasonable grounds in tenant's housing accommodation and assistance-animal claims

The Maine Human Rights Commission voted that there are reasonable grounds to believe Franco Properties and its principal discriminated against tenant Michelle Luannes by denying reasonable accommodations and by imposing fees tied to assistance animals.

Luannes, who testified pro se, said she is medically fragile (including COPD) and that street parking often leaves her unable to get home without severe breathing difficulty. She said the landlord initially told her the property had no parking, then agreed for a limited period, and later declined year-round use of the adjacent yard; she also alleged the landlord charged a deposit or fee for animals she says were emotional-support animals and later refunded the charge.

Respondent counsel said the landlord made multiple temporary accommodations, allowed the tenant to keep pets, refunded deposits when informed of medical documentation, and ultimately agreed to convert the adjacent yard into a parking area but that creating the physical parking space required contracting and took months to complete. The investigator found evidence that the landlord was informed of assistance-animal status and that delays and access issues supported a reasonable-grounds finding.

The Commission voted to find reasonable grounds on both denial-of-assistance-animal and denial-of-reasonable-accommodation claims and directed staff to notify the parties and pursue conciliation. Luannes told commissioners the housing outcome has caused ongoing hardship and that she planned to move because of building conditions and access issues.

The finding allows conciliation and, where necessary, further enforcement steps under state housing and civil-rights law.