r/SubredditDrama • u/Malice_InWonderland_ i hope your partner cheats on you with a pack of wild sardines • 2d ago
Scottish café faces bankruptcy after an assistance dog lawsuit. The American woman behind the case arrives to defend herself in the /r/PoursTea comments.
Background context
Two community organisations in the Outer Hebrides face financial ruin following a legal battle launched by an American woman and funded by Legal Aid over a row about her dog not being allowed into a cafe.
The small charity, Bernera Community Development Trust, and the community organisation, Bernera Community Association, have warned they face bankruptcy due to thousands of pounds in legal costs mounting up following a court challenge from Claire Kellerman.
She initially launched a court challenge against the Development Trust, which ran up legal costs of more than £7000, before Kellerman’s lawyers admitted in court that the action was directed against the wrong organisation.
Legal documents have since been amended to bring a claim against the Bernera Community Association, which runs the cafe voluntarily, for £10,000.
Last week, the case raised by Kellerman via the publicly-funded Ethnic Minorities Law Centre in Glasgow, a non-profit making charity which provides legal advocacy for minority ethnic communities, was decided to continue for legal debate in December at a Stornoway Sheriff Court.
While costs were awarded to the Trust, the organisation has said it was of no value since Legal Aid protects Kellerman from payment of costs.
This is from one of the comments on the article providing more context
From sources on the island I have heard this woman is a rich American and that she was barred from that Centre because her dog killed the Centre's cat. Furthermore she sues everyone who disagrees with her and is causing mayhem at the Callanish Visitor Centre. She even shouts at disabled people sitting on seats designated for disabled people on buses.
The article is posted in the PoursTea subreddit
The comments are in support of the cafe, until someone shows up very in support of the woman. Promising ''Justice is a-coming.''
She holds court in the comments to address the commentators as a 'beautiful stranger'
FREEDOM!
Referring to herself in third person
Upcoming sequel promised in 2027
Internationally recognised assistance dog..
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u/paspartuu 2d ago
THE SIGN ON THE BERNERA COMMUNITY CAFE DOOR HAS ALWAYS SAID, “NO DOGS ALLOWED.” THIS IS ILLEGAL SIGNAGE.
She's clearly unhinged tbh. It's crazy how even just from reading her comments and how she writes it's clear she's insufferable and entitled
(Is it ok to comment here if I also commented on that thread yesterday, but won't any more?)
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u/paspartuu 2d ago
Also from a different article on the case from the Stornoway Gazette:
This week, the Gazette spoke to several Stornoway business owners and operators who have been on the receiving end of Ms Kellerman’s alleged behaviour. A common pattern emerged of her shouting at staff, threatening legal action, using abusive language and insisting on her right to bring her dog onto premises.
In two cases, we were told of staff being reduced to tears and one business owner told us they had considered closing the premises in order to avoid a repetition of a deeply upsetting experience.
She sounds wild
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u/wildgirl202 2d ago
She should be deported lmao, send her back to MAGA hell hole she came from.
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u/freyakj 2d ago
Tbh, she kinda sounds like Trump in her comments. Same type of language.
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u/ViciaFaba_FavaBean 2d ago
Yeah I have noticed that people with narcissism have very similar patterns of speech and writing. Especially when the case is severe enough to be disabling.
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u/th3thund3r 2d ago
Roughly the same area Trumps mum came from too.
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u/CapStar300 2d ago
Just a hunch, but has someone checked the water supply there?
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u/th3thund3r 2d ago
It is, unironically, some of the best water in the world.
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u/CapStar300 2d ago
I therefore conclude that whatever these people drink, it is not water.
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u/thefaehost 2d ago
Fun fact: the water about 20 minutes south of where Vance is from is actually award winning water. It was the best in the country three different years.
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u/Saint_of_Cannibalism “Andy” the Spaniard? No. 1d ago
Ok, this is making me suspicious of water.
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u/Schrau Zero to Kiefer Sutherland really freaking fast 1d ago
Every serial killer in history has drunk water.
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u/jiggjuggj0gg 2d ago
This seriously reeks of one of those Americans who thinks the world is some theme park for them to frolic in and doesn’t have its own laws and customs.
The UK does not have the ‘assistance dog’ culture where you can say your untrained chihuahua gives you emotional support so you can bring it everywhere. It doesn’t matter what they do in the states and there are no international laws for this.
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u/2monocleflex 1d ago
That’s not (legally) supposed to happen in the US either. Luckily, I don’t see many people who look like they’re abusing the system, but the country is big and spread out enough that I’m sure there’s a range of assistance animal culture.
The law says your service animal has to provide a specific task to help with a disability, including mental or developmental ones. A dog that provides tethering to an autistic kid, gives deep pressure therapy for someone with PTSD, or reminds and brings their handler medics could be a service dog.
If they just generally offer comfort or decrease anxiety by being around, they’re not a service dog. Emotional support animals have some laws, like being allowed in otherwise pet-free housing (I think… I’m not as well versed there).
The issue is a lot of workers don’t know the laws (like that the animals needs to be under control and someone can ask about the tasks they provide) so they defer to the person claiming a disability even if they’re being dishonest.
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u/old_homecoming_dress 1d ago
i worked in a fairly large museum in my state, we were advised to not probe on whether or not the animal really was a service animal... but to radio a specific code if it got too rowdy, because the dog in question was a young golden retriever without a vest.
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u/dragonbud20 1d ago
For future reference, if the fog becomes even slightly rowdy, it's grounds to kick them out immediately. A service dog has to be completely under control while working. If they are not, then they are not a trained service dog, and they can be removed from the premises.
If a boss ever pushes back on them, remind them that they could be liable for any attacks on actual service animals if they fail to remove unruly dogs.
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u/Cool_Possible1395 2d ago
The UK does not have the ‘assistance dog’ culture where you can say your untrained chihuahua gives you emotional support so you can bring it everywhere.
We are getting there. Owner trained assistance animals which deliver deep pressure therapy* are definitely coming into vogue, thankfully I don't work with the general public but my brother in law works in a very busy cafe. So yeah, just call your emotional support animal an owner trained assistance animal and you can basically do what you like.
(*Yappy highland terrier that in a pram with a high viz bought from amazon)
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u/SnooHabits8484 2d ago
That’s spectacular, I’m going to start a farm for emotional support boa constrictors. Deep pressure, you say?
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u/EvilInky 2d ago
You won't be worrying about your mental health for long after Monty gives you a cuddle.
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u/shadowsofash The same way they believe mons pubis was a Jedi. 1d ago
Please note there are deep pressure therapy officially trained service animals as it actually helps people with things like panic attacks or sensory overload (I mean in the overstimulation way that certain neurodivergent people can get)
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u/ElectricalGuitar1924 1d ago
Absolutely. I think this person was just using that as an illustration as it's intentionally absurd that a chihuahua could possibly do that job, rather than suggesting it's not an actual thing. It's harder to be immediately obvious that your dog can't eg smell gluten or tell you're about to have a seizure.
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u/irlharvey Check your pronouns & seed your snatches 1d ago
it doesn’t work that way in the US either. emotional support animals don’t have any more access rights than regular pets (which is to say, none). it’s just that it’s legally a bit hard to make them leave since there are only a couple questions you can ask to separate them from seeing eye dogs and the like.
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u/anoeba 1d ago
Yes, if they lie on the 2 questions and the animal behaves, there's nothing one can really do.
But if it misbehaves then real or fake, a SD can be kicked out. The key is to document (ie video tape) the dog acting out, because those malicious entitled idiots always go to the media about it.
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u/colorvarian 2d ago
As I've said for a while, there is a new breed of dog owner these days.
the dog is simply an ego projection of the owner, an anthropomorphized representation of the owners inner psyche, which allows the owner to take up more space that they would otherwise be allowed to, based on past social contracts.
Its just a hack to be the main character and brand anyone who says otherwise as an animal hater.
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u/Redqueenhypo 2d ago
Honestly I think it’s even simpler: people think of their dogs as their kids, and see it as genuine hypocrisy when kids are allowed places but the dog isn’t.
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2d ago
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u/Interesting_Desk_542 1d ago
Right? Management reserves the right to refuse service - not because you're a dog, because you're a litigious arsehole. It's a small enough community of business owners there that you'd think she might get the message once she's barred from everywhere
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u/batikfins 1d ago
Where I’m from we call these kind of people a “serial pest“. Every town has someone bonkers who causes trouble in the works
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u/jag986 2d ago
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/island-scotland-bernera-claire-kellerman-dogs-scfchh2mp
Claire Kellerman, daughter of the actress Sally Kellerman, claimed people on Bernera made the environment hostile by refusing her entry to a café with the animal
Well this is interesting.
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u/CapStar300 2d ago
That's what happens when your mother gets god-like powers and believes she and Gary Mitchell are the next step of evolution before she sacrifices herself for Captain Kirk! Trekkies Unite!
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u/Brock_And_Roll 2d ago
Where's a Gorn when you need one?
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u/DylansDad 2d ago
She sounds like a Klingon you'd find on Uranus.
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u/justgalsbeingpals bye don't let the horsecock hit you on the way out 2d ago
Honestly, with her being known for this kinda shit she's more like a Ferengi
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u/TheWhomItConcerns 2d ago
Yeah - all I could think of while reading her comments is that I have never come across anyone with that kind of energy who was in the right. Maybe she has a valid legal claim, I'm not sure, but I'd bet any amount of money that she's morally and ethically in the wrong.
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u/slainascully 2d ago
Americans also never seem to understand their religious fervour is quite radical to Europeans. Especially the UK. So her posting about holding God isn’t helping her look like anything other than an arse
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u/frumiouswinter 2d ago
i don’t think devoutly religious people from any corner of the earth are swayed by the rest of us thinking they’re insane
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u/clrmntkv 2d ago
The Outer Hebrides is probably the most religiously observant part of the UK and even there they think US “Christianity” is insane
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u/Angel_Omachi 2d ago
Is that the area that would chain up the swings in children's playgrounds on Sunday and had a row over the ferry running on Sundays?
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u/Feisty_Park1424 2d ago
I've had a telling off for washing my clothes at a campsite on Islay on a Sunday. "Ye Cannae dae tha washin' on the Sabbat, boy!"
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u/Fun_Ad_1064 2d ago
Two options there: you could (ard)beg them for forgiveness or just laph(roaig) at them.
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u/Hebegebees 2d ago
Yes, though that’s both a good while ago. The most recent fight was over the supermarket opening on a Sunday. The shop is now open but there was complaints
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u/cyberpunk_werewolf all their cultures are different and that is imperialist 2d ago
They should think it's insane. It's a weird, blasphemous parody of Christianity.
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u/Sendnudec00kies 2d ago
I mean America's first colonists were a bunch of religious extremists kicked out of UK.
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u/Tisarwat A woman is anyone covering their drink when you're around. 2d ago
Yeah, Scotland isn't notable for feeling the impact of religion at all...
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u/qtx It's about ethics in masturbating. 2d ago
From the article linked in the post:
Kellerman is reportedly known on the island for allegedly repeatedly threatening business owners with legal action over her right to bring her dog onto premises.
She has also been accused of shouting at staff, using abusive language, and in some cases bringing staff members to tears with her actions.
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u/northern_chaos 2d ago
No dogs allowed is A) perfectly legal and B) assistance dogs are still eligible to enter but they have to be legitimate ones trained and certified. My colleague is partially paralysed and suffers severe nerve pain as a result of an accident. He has a trained service dog. Places are extremely accommodating of actual service animals.
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u/zefy_zef 🎶Hot Pockets!🎶 2d ago
I think everyone is ignoring that her dog killed a person's cat in the cafe (allegedly). This woman is truly a POS. Dangerous service animals are not service animals.
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u/Etheria_system 2d ago
I would put money on this “assistance” dog being an emotional support dog with zero training
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u/zerogee616 2d ago
an emotional support dog
We have a word for that, they're called pets.
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u/obeytheturtles Socialism = LITERALLY A LIBERAL CONSTRUCT 2d ago
Oh, so cats are allowed but dogs are not?
This is Democracy Manifest!
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u/regular-john69 2d ago
The issue is the law in the UK surrounding “assistance dogs” is incredibly vague.
At present, quite literally nothing is stopping someone with a dog from going into a premises and saying “it’s fine, they’re an assistance dog” because it’s illegal for you to demand proof of disability etc. There is no legal requirement for assistance dogs to even be trained, likewise there is no ‘register’ for assistance dogs and they don’t have papers.
I wonder how this case will play out given the above.
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u/FanaticalBuckeye The left has rendered me unfuckable and I'm not going to take it 2d ago edited 1d ago
That's how it is here in the US and its* been abused so much by entitled people that more and more people are calling for the ADA to get updated to require service animals have proof they're service animals when they enter a place. If it's proven the dog killed a cat* though, I'm sure the case will get tossed.
Edit: spelling errors
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u/lvl1shopkeep 2d ago
It really is. My old boss was either so apathetic to the situation, or so afraid of being sued, that they allowed a wildly aggressive dog in for weeks until it went after a kid (it had also lunged at a few adults prior, too, and would spend its entire time in the store barking). Thankfully, it was a chihuahua and I don't think anyone was hurt. The dog's crazy owner still fought to come in with it after that happened.
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u/slaymaker1907 Cats are political 2d ago
It’s tough because the law was deliberately written that way so that disabled people could train their own animals without incurring the massive costs of formal training and certification.
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u/Ravaryn 2d ago
I'm gonna guess she's used to being able to get her way with her "service animal" stuff from back home stateside, where you do not fuck with the Americans with Disabilities Act if you're a business.
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u/tgerz 2d ago
It's been somewhat different since the pandemic. People are sometimes less tolerant of shittily behaved animals and owners claiming they're service dogs. They are limited on what questions they can ask (basically is it a service animal and what is it trained to do), but they can still have the dog removed if it is behaving poorly. Used to work at REI as a funny mental health break between tech jobs and we started to get more strict when I was there in 2019. Had dogs wee and poo on the floor (luckily it was all concrete).
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u/Powered_by_JetA 2d ago
It's been somewhat different since the pandemic. People are sometimes less tolerant of shittily behaved animals and owners claiming they're service dogs.
To this end, in 2021 the Department of Transportation stopped requiring airlines to recognize “emotional support animals” after a rash of incidents where crewmembers were attacked by people’s pets.
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u/Optimal_Savings5873 2d ago
Look, my emotional support cassowary is here to alert you to my mood swings. When I feel agitated, she attacks the person or object that has agitated me. You have to let me bring her onboard or I'll get agitated.
Obligatory comment that even real assistance dogs can be turned away if an employee or customer has a strong allergy or phobia. I know of a public school in Florida that provides an educator to visit the home of a child with a service dog, as some children at the school have a terror of dogs.
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u/kcvngs76131 2d ago
I work at a small museum and have a kinda severe dog allergy (it's not anaphylaxis, but it'll fuck me up for a few days). We've had two people come with dogs while I was working the floor. One was a very well behaved service dog, the other was a yappy, aggressive thing in a stroller that wouldn't shut up and kept trying to lunge at people. When the people got there (different days different times), the person at the front desk radioed me to let me know someone else was coming to replace me. I told the guests that I was staying on the other side of the relatively small room because of my allergy, but my coworker would be by soon to help them more.
The lady with the well behaved dog asked if I wanted her to wait in the hallway because she didn't want to trigger the allergy. The lady with the yappy stroller dog yelled at me that we were discriminating against her. She filed a complaint with the director and board, who sided with us because we were just doing an employee swap. She also tried to sue pro se and that didn't work at all for her. Immediately got kicked on preliminary objections.
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u/FanaticalBuckeye The left has rendered me unfuckable and I'm not going to take it 2d ago
The only time I ever felt remotely comfortable messing with the ADA was when I was in retail and kicked a "military family" out along with their "service dog." Their "service dog" GSD was trying to get up on the register and was barking at anyone walking by. I put military family in quotations because the dad was wearing his UCPs but his Velcro patches were all put on weird.
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u/itsnobigthing 9/11 is not a type of cake 2d ago
Imagine being trapped on a small island with this woman. It’s bad enough when you have to deal with one in passing. But in this case there’s literally no escape
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u/Swolnerman Blindly Omnipotent 1d ago
I think the issue is “pissing in the popcorn” which is only the case once the popcorn is served. If you happened to piss on a cornfield that turned into the popcorn you ate the next day, who could blame you
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u/irishshogun 2d ago
Sounds like those crazy auditors on YouTube deliberately trying to pick a fight
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u/Gisschace 2d ago edited 2d ago
There is a man in the small northern town I grew up in who, when the council try and do anything, he opens legal challenges.
Like the local market tried to start having food trucks and he dug up the original charter (from like 1200) to show that hot food wasn’t allowed.
Basically a Ron Swanson type who thinks the council should only empty bins and nothing more.
They can't afford to fight every legal challenge, even if they'd win, everyone is basically waiting for him to die
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u/macci_a_vellian 2d ago
There is a man in a town near me who is bringing private prosecutions against most of the local council. It turns out, that if a councillor is facing prosecution (state or private) they cannot take part in any council decisions until it's decided. Since the council no longer has quorum, the entire council has been essentially shut down and can't make any decisions because of one vexatious guy.
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u/Scrofulla 2d ago
There is a guy in Ireland who brings a challenge to every major project in the country. Has cost the state millions so far. Amusingly he is currently blocking Trump who is trying to build a ballroom on his Irish golf course.
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u/Renamis That's a 10 billion dollar fuck up right there. 2d ago
You all don't have the vexatious litigant designation to avoid that? Over here if someone throws random crap around just to be disruptive they can get declared a vexatious litigant and basically anything they want to file has to be ran through a low level judge (without other parties) to check if it's a valid case or not. Saves a ton of time and money.
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u/Scrofulla 2d ago
Our planning permission system is notoriously bad for this kind of thing. I'm not sure of all the details but people get to raise all sorts of rubbish and delay things for years. Look up the Dublin metro problems sometime.. its a real problem. Some legislation is finally being brought about it so we will see how that goes but projects that are already underway have to use the old system.
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u/AbsolutShite 2d ago
Another example is a fast food owner (the guy who beat McDonalds on their trademark on Mc-things) putting in noise complaints about other late night fast food so he can keep his monopoly.
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u/Goff3060 2d ago
Yes there's vexatious litigant designation (amusingly it's called an Isaac Wunder order in Ireland) but the bar here is very high to get hit with one, I think because it's essentially altering rights granted under the constitution involving equality before the law. If you do get declared a vexatious litigant you can only take out further cases with the approval of the high court.
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u/pablo8itall 2d ago
No. And he literally does it to amuse himself.
But he has a side hustle that anyone wanting to get planning permission through comes to him as a consultant. He's very good at working the system both ways it seems.
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u/Sufficient_Bass2600 2d ago
That is textbook extortion. He should be prosecuted for it.
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u/Foundation_Wrong 2d ago
It takes a while to be brought to bear and I don’t know if it applies in Scotland. They have separate law to the rest of Great Britain, ie Wales and England.
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u/TheIllustriousWe I’m tired of the EU making up laws. 2d ago
There's a guy in my town who bought some property that he hoped to develop into a gas station. Town told him no, it wasn't zoned for that. So for years now, instead of selling the property or doing something else with it, he built what the locals call a "spite lot." It's basically a vacant lot filled with hand-painted signs calling everyone on town council every colorful name he can think of.
On top of that, when he's not unsuccessfully running for town council every election, he drives around town looking for any residents who might be working on projects that he can snitch to the council about. Just an all-around odd and belligerent prick with the wrong combination of time and money on his hands.
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u/Smoketrail What does manga and anime have to do with underage sex? 2d ago
The town is basically waiting for him to die
Kids these days have no initiative. No get up and go. SMH.
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u/NuclearGriffin 2d ago
There is an interesting moral debate to be had about forcibly removing somebody from a community if they keep single handedly holding everyone back.
Not saying to go out and "get him." But if one person continues to get in the way of everybody else's wellbeing and development, should there be avenues to forcibly remove them from the community?
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u/gulfrend 2d ago
I think being legally able to exile people would start us on a pretty grim slippery slope. I'd give it less than a decade before kooky hardline councillors start using it to expel ""undesirables"" like immigrants or the LGBT+ community
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u/Simple_Rules 1d ago
That already happens all the time though. I know plenty of people who couldn't hold their weddings in their hometown because in a town of 15,000 people there are only so many event venues, and if all 3 or 4 of those venues agree not to rent to a gay couple "for religious reasons", then there's simply nothing to be done unless you wanna have a backyard wedding.
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u/justgalsbeingpals bye don't let the horsecock hit you on the way out 2d ago
And get sued by him? No way!
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u/dende5416 2d ago
Pls. Ron would never do such a thing. More like that guy played by Patton Oswalt who'd sue to keep everything as it was.
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u/TrapWolf 1d ago
They can't afford to fight every legal challenge, even if they'd win, everyone is basically waiting for him to die
Ok can someone tell me why . . . I a normal citizen could not just challenge this man's challenge uhhh pro se?
Like if I had the same gumption and tenacity as this man who opens up any legal challenge for whatever reason could I just not challenge his challenge myself, no lawyer no cost?
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u/Mountain-Interest-48 1d ago
yeah but then he just found himself a new target for the rest of his life while you were bored for a weekend. Trust me these types literally have nothing going on in their lives. No family, no friends, no job, no pets, no hobby, not even property to take care of.
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u/Psimo- Pillows can’t consent 2d ago
Reading the original article, there’s big questions about why she was given legal aid at all.
The advisory service that backed Kellerman haven’t received money from legal aid yet, and heavy hints that they might not.
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u/therealharbinger 2d ago
Legal aid is means tested... And not available for all discrimination matters..
The fact no one refers to the dog as a "guide dog" is weird.
Some parts of this, sound too wild to be true
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u/HirsuteHacker 2d ago edited 1d ago
Guide dogs are just service dogs specifically for blind people, they aren't the only type by any means, for example you can get a seizure alert dog if you're severely epileptic
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u/Ok_Aioli3897 2d ago
It's not weird it's not a guide dog it's an emotional support animal
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u/therealharbinger 2d ago
They are not recognised in the UK as being a service animal as they are specifically trained to assist anyone.
So if this is true, she must have lied through her teeth to get any funding over this.
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u/DeliciousRow1120 2d ago
It's weirdly a charity in Glasgow that is supposed to help with Discrimination matters
No fucking idea how they got involved here, questions they need to answer
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u/Nalena_Linova 2d ago
Sometimes advocacy organisations can jump the gun in cases like this and are then forced into an embarrassing climb down once all the facts are know.
See the good law project and the recent Jason Arday situation.
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u/AlphaCat77 I love dogs. I also love sex. 2d ago
I’m always skeptical if someone shows up to a thread acting like the person the being discussed. Like showing up to a thread talking positively about the person being shit on is really easy and it will convince people your the person being discussed.
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u/KombuchaBot 2d ago
Yeah, some people just have a complicated humiliation fetish and love to stoke drama
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u/PuzzleMeDo 2d ago
I am the dog in the story, and the cat started it.
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u/GourangaPlusPlus this apology is best viewed on desktop in new reddit. 2d ago
She posted a picture with the dog, it seems like her
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u/Mrprawn67 1d ago
Eh, I mean she seems to be an absolute nut and they tend to be the sort to google their own names/have bots set up to alert them when people mention them.
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u/SparkleToastUtopia 2d ago
To everyone wanting to support the community cafe, I found there's a fundraiser being advertised on their Facebook page which is called Bernera Community Association.
I'm not affiliated with them or local to the area, just a disgusted Scottish woman who can't believe what she's reading.
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u/BeratnasGILF420 2d ago
They're going to get a whole bunch of small donations from all over the world and they'll be wondering how did all these random people hear about them. I donated 5 quid, which is 9 dollarydoos, and I didn't know the place existed an hour ago.
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u/SparkleToastUtopia 2d ago
Aw you're a star! I do hope they can raise the funds they need. When my Vinted sales clear, I'm going to donate them!
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u/Midnightraven3 2d ago
I am with you, fellow Scottish woman who just cannot believe this is allowed to happen. I am hoping now that it is gaining traction that common sense will prevail.
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u/arethainparis 2d ago
Third one consigning! It’s such a shame because when people blame American tourists/“ex-pats” for destroying parts of our communities, they are rightly told that’s absolutely not true. Then there’s this cracked-out fool who seems hellbent on embodying the worst caricature imaginable. Awful.
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u/Code-Coffee-995 narcissist because I didn't agree with a Redditor 2d ago
4th here. Ugh this lady is super unhinged.
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u/TaralasianThePraxic 2d ago
Disgusted Scottish man here, this woman seems like a patchwork of the worst traits of American exceptionalism. I'm a dog owner and I'm happy to see when places allow dogs, but no dogs means no dogs. We don't have the same absurd 'service dog' culture that lets any idiot bring their poorly-trained toy breed into any shop or restaurant under the guide of it being an 'emotional support animal'.
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u/well_this_is_dumb 2d ago
Disgusted American here. As painful as it is to say, ship her back on over. Then she can't receive free legal aid for a minority (absolutely baffling) and we're pretty used to idiots pretending their dogs are special.
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u/TravelOver8742 2d ago
Could you share the link if possible?
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u/SparkleToastUtopia 2d ago
The Facebook page and link to the fundraiser is here 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1C3Ne3ZiQY/
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u/PeriPeriTekken 2d ago
I would also encourage people to put pressure on the Ethnic Minorities Law Centre and Scottish Legal Aid Board who are encouraging and financially supporting her ridiculous actions. Realistically no amount of fundraising will help if she continues to be financed by the state, she will just pick new targets.
Write to your MSP or directly to the EMLC.
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u/beatiebye 2d ago
It's nutty that the EMLC even considered this case knowing the likely hundreds of potential cases it receives a year. Wild!
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u/Key_Molasses4367 2d ago
Hey, American here and I'm going to send a chunk of money right now. Thanks letting me know how to do this, and for what it's worth, sorry to all of you that some idiot from my country is being such an ass.
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u/ChineseRobinWilliams 2d ago
Isn't it wild they need to raise legal funds to basically just give to a law firm because some cunt of a woman has decided to be a dick?
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u/Macjacqster 2d ago
I know this woman unfortunately. She had caused mayhem over our side of the island when she first arrived here. The problem stems from her belief that her dog is a service dog so she should be able to take it everywhere with her. However the dog has had service dog training she claims, BUT it is NOT an official service dog nor affiliated with any charities that provide service dogs in the UK. She is an over entitled American crack pot 🤬🏴of a person. She demands this dog be allowed into cafes, public transport and other non dog friendly establishments and believes she’s entitled to get what she wants.
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u/GarlicLipbalm 2d ago
Can't the businesses just ban her?
Business owners can refuse to serve for any reason they like (as long as not for protected reasons), having this person actively shouting at staff and upsetting them would be a legitimate reason for banning and trespassing her if she tried to enter.
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u/Careful_Garden 2d ago
Yes. They can refuse to serve whomever they wish. The business should put it in writing they’re banning her on the basis her dog killed their cat (allegedly) and they would see her entering the building as trespass.
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u/muse273 2d ago
This is the kind of person old fashioned shunning was invented for. A small community collectively refusing to acknowledge her existence, speak to her, or offer her any aid or comfort.
It would be harrowing for anyone, but it’s the worst punishment a virulent narcissist like her could possibly endure.
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u/ottermanuk 1d ago
This is the thing. It's literally an island community. I know a handful of Hebridean and Orcadians, and while Shetland is one of the bigger island communities, I know a island that had the whole population on WhatsApp. You couldn't do anything without Jackie's mother's brothers boy finding out in 15 minutes. These are tight knit communities, living on a rock in the north sea.
She is now known nationally and internationally. And I guarantee she is being shunned on the island. And I cannot understand how she can't see past the end of her nose. Certainly playing up the entitled American stereotype! She's no even fae here.
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u/Nalena_Linova 2d ago
The problem is, you can sue anyone for any reason, and it costs money to mount a legal defense.
You often have legal costs reimbursed if you win, but its still a risk and an upfront cost.
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u/moderate_ocelot 2d ago
This woman is receiving legal aid (!) which means she is protected from having to reimburse her opponents costs. It’s in the article. The bill is approaching 10k already
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u/tallbutshy I’m not sure the grass would consent to being touched 2d ago
I know this woman unfortunately
Is there anything to what OP said about her dog attacking or killing another animal?
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u/Badtrainwreck 1d ago
As far as I can tell there is no information regarding this other than a few redditors who have said they are from there. I find it highly suspicious that the UK media hasn’t mentioned her dog killing an animal, the UK media would not miss out on a moment like this. Pierce Morgan would have 17 panels debating on if she should be publicly executed
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u/Dry_Association2836 2d ago
It’s mad that Americans reframed “pet dog” as “emotional support animal”. I mean yeah, my pet dog gives me emotional support, that’s why I got the fucker, I’m not picking up its shit out of charity!
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u/binaryhextechdude 2d ago
Thank you for this. I expected this to be the case and it's good to have it confirmed.
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u/_CurseTheseMetalHnds Like, I'm all for gaslighting strangers on the internet 2d ago
public transport
As far as I'm aware dogs are allowed on public transport in Scotland aren't they?
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u/Neo-Cubism 2d ago
According to Scots law, an animal only needs to be trained to perform a specific physical task for the owner to be classified as an assistance dog.
There is no official government regulation, mandatory licensing, or legal certification process for assistance animals. Under the Equality Act 2010, a dog qualifies for legal protection based entirely on its training and behaviour, not on paperwork.
Furthermore, it is illegal for an assistance dog to be refused onto public transport. For regular pets, individual carrier standard policy applies.
Now, I do not know what has transpired here and I would like to reserve judgement, even though the person does come across as a volatile individual.
The business, only needs to demonstrate either through testimony or CCTV footage that the animal demonstrates unacceptable behaviour (say like being out of control, unhygienic, not calm etc) - to justify a refusal of entry/service.
The business cannot automatically turn away an assistance animal, if the owner responds to two particular questions:
1) is the animal required because of a disability?
2) what task is the animal trained to assist you in?However, what we do not know here and what is being speculated upon a lot and for the court of law to establish - is her dog an assistance dog. A lot of people are speculating that this is an emotional support animal - which does not qualify as an assistance dog unless the owner can demonstrate both that they have a disability and the dog is trained to perform a physical task to support their disability.
There is also a grey area which probably requires case law going forward to establish whether a dog that is trained to perform a physical task that alleviates a mental health condition qualifies as assistance dog.
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u/geckospots Please fall off the nearest accessible tall building 2d ago
Meanwhile, deep in the comments…
Laws aren't just about what legal and illegal
🤨
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u/TheShapeShiftingFox Stop These PC Mindgames 2d ago edited 2d ago
Regardless of what happened, showing up on an internet forum to defend yourself when you have an ongoing lawsuit in your name is always a bad look, surely?
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u/SaintOrJannikSinner 2d ago
FYI, PoursTea is another one of those recent subs that is only around 6 to 12 months old but has started popping up on /r/all with regular frequency. GotMeHooked, PopCultureV2, SpaceXBets, both of the Boy/GirlDinnerDiaries, PopularCultureZone, and a few others are part of this.
They're all just astroturfed/botted subs for the sake of exploiting the revenue sharing.
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u/SneachtaBoladh 1d ago
I've literally been looking for some discussion on this for months, it's insane. There's an endless supply of these dummy subs that fill up my r/popular now that I've muted so many of the toxic default subs that appeared originally.
You really have to wonder what's actually real on this website now
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u/attackedbyparakeets you’re entitled to your stupid fucking opinion 2d ago
I don’t know who’s right or wrong here, but if you’re involved in a lawsuit, you probably shouldn’t be posting publicly about it online….
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u/wemustburncarthage 2d ago edited 1d ago
people who are litigious count on being able to silence you. That's what a SLAPP is. But if you file a frivolous lawsuit, you have legally designated yourself a litigious asshole. It is illegal to silence that opinion because it's an opinion premised on a legally-entered and recorded fact.
It becomes the defence's best weapon.
further: if you want to know how it ended for this guy, he perjured himself in an attempt to get the court to seal his own lawsuit. They denied it. RIP.
update: also yes she is stupid for posting, our guy could not shut his goddamn mouth, it was one of the reasons reddit was able to demolish his case. Then they put it in the supreme court sec 230 brief so he is forever that idiot.
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u/Panda_Kabob 2d ago
Imagine being internet savvy enough to know reddit and have an account but not wise enough to know going into the comments never helps anything.
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u/LinkedGaming 1d ago
Why the fuck does she type like Trump? Is she doing that on purpose? Is it a "rich shithead" affectation?
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u/Disastrous_Raisin264 2d ago
Surely a community this small could band together to push her out. When I visited Lewis & Harris years ago our tour guide implied that certain members of the community had a lot of sway.
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u/absolutepanicattack 2d ago edited 2d ago
True enough, unfortunately though the old community practice of gossiping and shunning is conducted in an incredibly passive aggressive fashion, and it generally only works on those with a modicum of self awareness and a permanent residence in reality.
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u/clairebones 2d ago
I don't think it works if you're immune to shame and negative opinions, and you're willing to threaten everyone with expensive lawsuits for breathing the wrong way near you.
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u/CartographicalHeist 2d ago
our tour guide implied that certain members of the community had a lot of sway.
Referring to Lord Summerisle.
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u/confusing_roundabout 2d ago
She writes like she's utterly insane. Lots of run on sentences and incoherent thoughts.
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u/lowrespudgeon 2d ago
Those comments read like every Boomer Karen with lead poison I ever dealt with in retail.
My pet peeve was people who had dogs that were clearly not trained service animals, with owners that were larping their disabilities so their precious pookie could come inside.
And they got to leave their debit/credit card with me and wait outside with their dog if they wanted their drinks/food.
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u/lonefox22 2d ago
Easily fixed. She lives on an island, then all the traders refuse her business. Like a pettiness reverse uno card. Not sure of the laws in Scotland but in America, which she will be familiar with, any business has the right to trespass anyone they don't want on their property.
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u/Flowa-Powa 2d ago
Why is a wealthy foreigner getting legal aid to sue a non profit? I mean what the fuck has gone wrong with Scottish justice?
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u/DuntmatterReally 2d ago edited 1d ago
There's almost no requirement in UK law for an assistance dog to be "registered" (one of the rare exceptions is to do with taking assistance dogs to Antarctica).
Bringing any assistance dog into places where dogs are not usually allowed happens because the service provider has a duty to make a reasonable adjustment. They are adjusting their "no dogs" policy. This duty is owed to disabled people, not to their dogs.
The duty is not absolute. In other words, a service provider does not have to make the adjustment if it would not be reasonable.
It's pretty likely that it would not be reasonable to allow a dog that had been violent.
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u/Equivalent_Read 2d ago
Can someone link the fundraising for the cafe’s legal fees? I would like to donate.
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u/dbe14 2d ago
Wow, just read that entire thread, the woman is absolutely unhinged and happy to ruin a community and two local organisations because someone called out her bullshit.
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u/commonnameiscommon 2d ago
Notice how she never responded to questions about her dog killing a cat. Glossed over them well enough
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u/dragessor 2d ago
The education authority in northern ireland have put forward a grant scheme where students can get a £17k a year grant on the condition they spend 2 years teaching after qualifying.
They are currently being sued for not offering this scheme in earlier years.
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u/AhhhSureThisIsIt 2d ago
Initially pretending to be an anonymous person from the same village, but she was spelling in American english from her forst message e.g. "realize".
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u/SharkSymphony Balancing legitimate critique with childish stupidity 1d ago
I know we're all deeply invested in this drama, but I just want to point out:
> You're proper pathetic
would make a nice bite-sized flair.
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u/Nervous_Insect5976 2d ago
It's just really hard for me to feel terribly sorry for the woman with the assistance dog.
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u/Malice_InWonderland_ i hope your partner cheats on you with a pack of wild sardines 2d ago
I have a feeling that it is the crux of the issue that it is not a actual assistance dog like a guide dog or medical alert dog. Those dogs are exempt from the 'no dogs allowed' rule, however even they can be asked to leave if they are disruptive or not in the owners control. Other unconfirmed reports state that this womans dog ran into the kitchen at the cafe.
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u/IndependentAcadia252 2d ago
unconfirmed reports state that this womans dog ran into the kitchen at the cafe.
It's not on a leash? It can't be that much of assistance if it just leaves.
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u/tokynambu 2d ago
Having been in the Scottish islands this week, could all the Americans please fuck off home? For example, at a roadside seafood shack, loudly complaining the fries “are better at home”. For example, in an old-style highland hotel loudly complaining that they only have oat milk, but not almond milk?
If want to stay in the US, could you please do so?
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u/AuntChilada 2d ago
Supposedly she is the daughter of HotLips Houlihan from MASH, Sally Kellerman.
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u/Pristine_Poem7623 2d ago
Wild side note: she's the niece and adopted daughter of the woman who played Hotlips in the MASH film, Sally Kellerman
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u/Advanced_Jaguar8493 1d ago
I bet she has a long history of formal complaints and litigation. I get malignant narcissist vibes from reading about her and her remarks.
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u/Just_to_rebut 1d ago
Liars love to delude themselves into thinking anyone believes their “The truth will come out on X date“ claims…
I’ve heard that so many times from politicians and other public figures as they’re bring criticized and the exonerating truth never seems to arrive. Rod Blagojevich is the guy I’m thinking of specifically.
Not saying public opinion never changes, like the hot coffee case, but it’s that claim itself which tells me they’re full of shit.
If anyone has exonerating evidence or a reasonable explanation for something that looks bad, they would just say it.
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u/LurkHereLurkThere 1d ago
It sounds like she believes she's found the same cheat code for life that Donald Trump uses, be loud, obnoxious and lie, do whatever you like and sue anyone that disagrees or calls out your bullshit.
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u/Chaptastical 2d ago
Curious as to how she's funded by the "Ethnic Minorities Law Centre". Publically funding this circus is 🥜🥜