26-03-2025
Woman suing Riverside Towers over emotional support dog
BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – A woman is suing a co-op on Riverside Drive in Binghamton, claiming she was denied an apartment because of her emotional support animal.
Carole Manculich, owner of a year-and-a-half old West Highland Terrier named Candy, is suing Riverside Towers.
Manculich says she and her husband lived in the penthouse in unit 1102, and she inherited it after her husband passed away on January 30th.
For her to continue living there, Riverside Towers asked her to submit an application and undergo a background check, which she says she passed with flying colors.
Manculich says a day after meeting with the Riverside Towers' board members, she was told she can't move in.
'I was told that I was denied. And, I asked for a reason, and they wouldn't give me one. They said they don't have to give me a reason. And, I've had an emotional support service dog for, I can't tell you how many years, it's probably been 25 years now, and I need this,' says Manculich.
Manculich is being represented by attorney Ron Benjamin.
She says before her husband passed away, she would bring the dog around the building on a leash, and it was never a problem.
One piece of evidence submitted in the lawsuit, is a letter to Riverside Towers from Manculich's therapist, stating she struggles with depression, and her dog is how she copes.
Manculich says she considers Candy somewhere between an emotional support dog and a service dog.
News 34 reached out to the lawyer for Riverside Towers, and they cannot comment on pending litigation.
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