Staff Report

ELKHART — An Elkhart veteran has filed a federal lawsuit against the Elkhart Veterans of Foreign Wars post due to being asked to leave because of his service dog.

Forrest Ludwick was later banned from the VFW post. Ludwick filed a federal lawsuit alleging this was a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Monday, June 24.

Ludwick served in the U.S. Air Force and Reserves for a combined 30 years and was honorably discharged after Operation Desert Storm. Due to degenerative arthritis of the spine, sciatica, COPD, and other diagnoses, Ludwick has a service dog, trained to assist with standing and walking.

He is, and was at the time of the incident, a lifetime member of the VFW. He is disabled, as defined by the ADA, and has record of such impairment. He sees medical providers operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs every six months, or more often if necessary.

On July 22, 2022, Ludwick was dining at the VFW post, when he was asked to leave because of his dog. He explained it was a service dog and requested that he and his family could stay. The service dog was wearing a vest, harness, bandana indicating not to pet and service dog identification markers.

Someone at the VFW post called the Elkhart Police Department. The officer arrived and took no action against Ludwick, once discovering his dog was a service animal.

A VFW representative then told Ludwick he was banned from the location, claiming they put a protective order against him and he would be arrested if he came back. They in fact placed no such order.

Ludwick’s son, Forrest Ludwick II, was also present with a service dog that monitors his blood sugar levels. He is also suing.

The Americans with Disabilities Act protects the right to “public accommodation,” which the VFW post falls under as “a restaurant, bar, or other establishment serving food or drink.”

Read the full complaint here.