Last Thursday, Oct. 11, in a preliminary hearing, U.S. District Court Judge David Larmier ordered an injunction that requires the University to allow sophomore Deborah Stamm to keep her service dog, Sid, with her until the case has been settled in court.
Stamm initially began negotiating with the University in August, claiming that she needed Sid with her to provide emotional support. She decided to file a lawsuit after UR continued to deny her full access to her service dog that her doctor recommended.
“If my dog had not been allowed on campus when he was, I would, at the very least, have dropped out of school because I could just not continue at that point,” Stamm said.
The University had originally provided Stamm with the opportunity to opt out of her housing contract so that she could find off-campus housing. After being approached by her attorney Laurie Lambrix, UR offered Stamm the possibility of living with Sid in Southside. She currently lives in Anderson.
“They [the University] made one or two more offers but nothing would have been useful for me. Sid still could not come to my classes or go with me to work since I have a job on campus,” Stamm said.
Pending a second judge’s approval to uphold the injunction, court proceedings are expected to commence soon.
“I’m doing so much better now that Sid is with me on campus. I just want to get everything finalized,” Stamm said.
Squires is a member of the class of 2010.
