Utah

Discussion

Utah: Failure to Accommodate Request for a Medical Alert Dog in Employee Housing

On January 13, 2026, in O’Connor v. Collett’s Mountain Resorts, Inc., a Utah federal district court said that where housing was made available only to employees, it was considered a covered privilege of employment for purposes of a disability accommodation. Meaning, when the employee requested an accommodation to allow his diabetes service dog to live in the employer-provided housing, it was a protected activity. Further, the plaintiff alleged the employer terminated him shortly after saying that he needed a service dog for his disability, and the reasons the employer gave for the termination all stem from the requested accommodation. Ultimately, the court said that sufficient information was pled to claim failure to accommodate, discrimination, and retaliation claims under federal and state law.

 

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