Second suit filed over service dog at Aspen complex

An Aspen woman has filed a federal complaint accusing a condo association of harassing, intimidating and asking her invasive questions about her disability requiring a service dog.

Natasha MacArthur’s lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of Denver, marks the second discrimination complaint filed against Aspen View Condominium Association and First Choice Properties & Management Inc. over the golden retriever named Stevie Nicks. In May, Aspen View condo owner Alvaro Arnal, who leased his unit to MacArthur, sued the association and property manager.

Cliff Mohwinkel, president of the board for Aspen View Condominiums, declined comment Thursday. Previously, he told The Aspen Times the association board did “more than its fair share” to accommodate MacArthur and Stevie Nicks. Mohwinkel also is named as a defendant in MacArthur’s suit, along with two other board members.

MacArthur’s suit says she was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2010, 10 years after her first seizure in 2000. Taking her doctor’s advice, she applied for a service dog through a nonprofit and waited a year before she obtained the animal, which went through a two-week “intensive training course,” the suit says.

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