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An Elkhart man was banned from his local Veterans of Foreign Wars post for having his service dog with him in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal lawsuit filed this week alleges.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
In July 2022, Forrest Ludwick was with his son at the VFW Post in Elkhart dinning with family when a Post officers informed them they had to leave unless the dog was removed. Ludwick explained that the dog was a service animal that he needed due to his disabilities.
Ludwick is a Gulf War veteran of the U.S. Air Force and received an honorable discharge after Operation Desert Storm. He has a total of 30 years active and reserve service.
He has been diagnosed with degenerative arthritis of his spine, sciatica, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, major depressive disorder, hearing loss and generalized anxiety disorder.
Ludwick takes medications and uses his trained service dog to assist in walking and standing up.
According to the complaint, the dog has several vests, with an orange vest used most frequently.
The vest has a handle on the top and buckles on the sides with part of the harness going up the dog’s chest.
Additionally, the vest has two pouches attached by Velcro on the sides and patches that identify the animal as a service dog. The dog wears a collar that has a black bandana on it with words asking people not to pet the animal.
Ludwick’s son also had his service dog with him. The son’s dog alerts him when his blood sugar level is low and diverts him away from situation in which he might get into a fight. He has been diagnosed with hypoglycemia, neurodivergent brain activity, dyslexia and knee issues.
An Elkhart city police officer later arrived, but left without removing or taking any action against Ludwick after explaining why he and his son had the dogs.
Ludwick was informed by post officers that he had been banned from the property, but never received a protective order or any other legal prohibition issued against him.
Negotiations with the national and Indiana VFW leadership were allegedly unsuccessful.
The lawsuit seeks declaratory judgment and injunctive relief.
An attorney for the Elkhart VFW Post #88 has not been listed on the docket at this time. The VFW of Indiana did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The case is Forrest Ludwick, Forrest Ludwick II v. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #88 Elkhart, IN, 3:24-CV-501.
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