NY arts club ejects circus heiress over demand for dog diapers, lawsuit follows
The National Arts Club barred Karen Feld and her service dogs after demanding the animals wear diapers, prompting Feld to file a discrimination lawsuit.
Longtime member and journalist Karen Feld was told to exit a May 19 gathering at Manhattan’s National Arts Club because her service dogs, Mango and Beignet, were not equipped with dog diapers. The club’s food and beverage director cited sanitation issues, but Feld maintained the dogs were professionally groomed and essential for her PTSD and seizure disorders. In a Manhattan Supreme Court filing, Feld alleges the club’s demand constitutes illegal disability discrimination and that the venue is pressuring the Silurians Press Club to drop her from its board.
The club responded that the dogs had caused two separate incidents of soiling inside the historic building. Feld, whose father Irvin Feld once owned Ringling Bros., has a history of litigation involving her pets. The case underscores the legal obligations of private clubs to accommodate service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Why it matters
The lawsuit tests how private clubs must handle service-animal rights under disability law.
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